Are You a Lukewarm Christian or Are You a Disciple?
– It Really Does Matter!

Introduction

Many Christians assume that believing in Jesus is enough.
But scripture is very clear and direct to the contrary:

    • Belief alone does not get you into the kingdom of heaven.
    • Belief without surrender does not transform.
    • Belief without obedience does not produce life.

Jesus Himself warns us:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” — Matthew 7:21

A person who believes in Jesus, but has not declared Him Lord over their entire life is called a lukewarm Christian.

The difference between a Lukewarm Christian and a submitted disciple is not minor; It is dramatic in this life, and it has eternal consequences.

This blog is intended to help folks realize they may not be where they really think they are relative to Jesus and heaven..

God has given you a choice —  and your life, your destiny, the lives of your descendants, and all of your eternities depend on it.

Why It Is Not Enough to Just Believe

Many claim to believe, Few understand what it means to truly believe.
Belief means to act as if it were actually true…. 

    • Our fall from grace by the introduction of sin in the garden,
    • Our sinful nature, making us naturally self centered and rebellious against God.
    • The severe nature of our fallen nature and the impact i has on our life and the lifeof others
    • Our earning a sentence of eternity in hell for falling short of God’s perfect standard.
    • God choosing to come here in the flesh as a son Jesus to suffer and die in our place.
    • Our option to serve our sentence in hell ourselves or yield our earthly live to Jesus and spend eternity with Him. 
    • It is an easy trade but you have to actually make the trade to get the benefit 

True belief produces obedience, surrender, repentance, and transformation.
Anything else is mental argument, not a saving faith.

Let’s walk through the biblical declarations to be clear.

A. Old Testament Foundation: Deuteronomy 30

God makes His expectations very clear and explicit:

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life…” – Deut. 30:19 

But how does one choose life?
The next verse tells us:

“That you may love the Lord your God,
that you may obey His voice,
and that you may cling to Him…” –  Deut. 30:20

Three requirements:

      • Love Him
      • Obey Him
      • Cling to Him

Why?  the end of that verse:  “…For He is your life and the length of your days.” –  Deut. 30:20 

This is the pattern of God’s covenant relationship:

Hearing → Obeying → Clinging → Life

In trade for our submission in faith, God makes a promise to help us and provide for us and protect us and work all things for good, but it only works if we do our part.

Belief without hearing, obedience, or clinging is not executing your part of the deal – and you can expect consequences.

B. New Testament Agreement: Faith That Saves Always Transforms

True belief recognizes:

      • The seriousness of sin
      • The certainty of condemnation without a savior
      • The price Jesus paid on the cross
      • The necessity of surrender to receive the benefit

Paul says:

“The love of Christ compels us…
that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them.”  — 2 Cor. 5:14–15

If your belief does not compel you to stop living for yourself,
you have not achieved a saving faith.

James warns:

“Even the demons believe—and tremble!” — James 2:19

Demons believe in Jesus. They know who He is.
They acknowledge His authority. But they do not submit or obey.

A lukewarm Christian is dangerously close to the same condition.

C. You Only Enter Heaven If Jesus Knows You

Jesus does not say:

“You will enter heaven because you believed I existed.”

He says:

“Depart from Me; I never knew you.” — Matthew 7:23 

Knowing Jesus is not intellectual familiarity, It is not inviting him into my heart.
It is relationship based on complete surrender and a commitment to obedience.

Jesus says:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”  – John 10:27

Three marks of a disciple:

      • Hear His voice
      • Are known by Him
      • Follow Him

A lukewarm believer may acknowledge Jesus –  but does not follow Him.

D. Jesus Calls Us to Die To Sin Before We Truly Live

Identity in Christ begins with death of the old you:

“If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself,
take up his cross,
and follow Me.”  –  Matthew 16:24 

And continues through transformation:

“Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” –  Matthew 16:25 

You cannot be “in Christ” while clinging to the old life.

You are covered by His blood only when you are united with His death.

This is biblical salvation—not American Christianity.

There Are Three Identity Paths: Which One Are You Living From?

There are three spiritual identity states:

A. Unbeliever (Rejecting)

    • Dead in sin
    • Blind to spiritual truth
    • Self-led
    • Without covenant protection

B. Lukewarm Christian (Convenient, Unsurrendered)

    • Believes but does not obey
    • Acknowledges Jesus but lives self-led
    • Selective obedience
    • Little transformation
    • Spiritually stagnant
    • Dangerously self-deceived

C. Disciple of Jesus (Submitted, Following)

    • Has denied self
    • Carries their cross
    • Walks in obedience
    • Lives by faith, not feelings
    • Experiences transformation
    • Knows Jesus and is known by Him

Only one of these is promised eternal life.
Not because of effort— but because knowing Jesus is eternal life (John 17:3).

Am I Lukewarm or a Disciple?

This is where honesty matters.
Let Scripture and the Spirit reveal your heart.

Indicator

Lukewarm Christian

Disciple of Jesus

Relationship

Believes in Jesus

Belongs to Jesus

Lordship

Jesus is advisor Jesus is Master
Obedience When convenient

Even when costly

Priorities Self first God’s will first
Transformation Minimal, sporadic Increasing, visible
Fear of God Low High (reverence, honor)
Sin Excused or ignored Repented and resisted

Cost

Avoids sacrifice

Embraces sacrifice

Guiding Questions

    • Do I obey Jesus only when it fits my preferences?
    • Do I fear God and understand what is at stake?
    • Am I pursuing comfort or obedience?
    • Has following Jesus cost me anything?
    • Do I cling to my old life instead of losing it for Christ?
    • Do I see real transformation in my thoughts, emotions, and choices?
    • If Jesus returned today, would He know me?

These questions cut through self-deception.

What’s at Stake? (The Eternal Reality)

The stakes are eternal and unavoidable.

Jesus warns the lukewarm:

“Because you are lukewarm…
I will vomit you out of My mouth.” –  Revelation 3:16 (NKJV)

This is not rejection. This is invitation.

“Be zealous and repent.” –  Revelation 3:19 

You must choose:

    • Comfort or calling.
    • Convenience or obedience.
    • Self-rule or surrender.
    • Belief about Jesus or discipleship under Jesus.

Anything less than surrender is being lukewarm.

How to Move From Lukewarm to Disciple

Here is the biblical path:

A. Repent of Self-Lordship

Confess where comfort, fear, pride, or convenience are ruling your decisions.

B. Surrender Your Life to Jesus

Salvation is not addition or loss.
It is exchange:  Your earthly life for Life Through Him .. now and for eternity.

C. Deny Yourself Daily

True discipleship requires daily choices, not a momentary prayer.

D. Take Up Your Cross

Embrace obedience even when inconvenient, costly, or difficult.

E. Follow Jesus

Read His words.
Hear His voice.
Obey His commands.
Walk in His steps.

F. Cling to Him (Deut. 30:20)

Trust in Him,
Have Faith,
Your life depends on it.

Identity Declaration for Discipleship

Lord Jesus, I renounce lukewarm belief.
I surrender my life fully to You.
I deny myself, take up my cross, and choose to follow You.
I cling to You as my life and my salvation.
Transform me into Your disciple.
Let my identity be rooted in Your truth,
my heart shaped by Your love,
and my steps led by Your Spirit.
I am Yours.
I will follow wherever You lead. Amen.

Final Thoughts

Lukewarm Christianity is the greatest spiritual deception of our time.
It produces the illusion of salvation without transformation.
The appearance of faith without obedience.
The vocabulary of Christianity without the life of Christ.

But God is inviting you into something far greater:

    • A transformed life.
    • A real relationship.
    • A surrendered heart.
    • A disciple’s identity.
    • An eternal purpose.

Jesus does not call you to be lukewarm.
He calls you to follow Him.
And when you do—your life, your relationships, your destiny, and your eternity will never be the same.

Do You Want to Change? Let’s Use God’s Path And Actually Change

Introduction

Every person reaches a point where they want real change — not temporary motivation, not emotional highs, not coping skills — but deep, lasting transformation. The kind that reshapes who you are at the level of motive, desire, thought, and behavior. The kind that brings peace, maturity, stability, and spiritual power.

There is only one path that reliably produces this kind of transformation: God’s path. It works because it deals with the entire internal chain that produces behavior. Most change strategies only address symptoms. God addresses the roots.

“But we all… are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…”
—2 Corinthians 3:18

What Are We Trying to Accomplish?

The goal of transformation is not simply becoming a ‘better version’ of yourself. The goal is becoming the person God intended you to be — someone who reflects His character, walks in His love, operates in His truth, and lives in His power.

Transformation aims at:

• Reshaping motives
• Correcting beliefs
• Healing emotions
• Renewing thoughts
• Strengthening decisions
• Reforming habits
• Rebuilding identity
• Restoring purpose

This is more than behavior modification. It is internal re-creation.

Why Does This Matter?

Transformation matters because it affects both eternity and daily life.

• **Eternally** — God is preparing you for life with Him forever. Character matters. Loving God with all your heart matters most.

• **Here and now** — Your internal world determines your peace, relationships, confidence, and stability. You are an ambassador for Christ, Bring Him Glory.

When transformation is ignored, life becomes reactive, chaotic, and repetitive. When embraced, life becomes fruitful, meaningful, and aligned with God’s design.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”
—Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

Understand the Chain: Why You Do the Things You Don’t Want to Do

Every behavior — desirable or undesirable — is produced by an internal sequence. If you only fight the behavior, you will always lose. But if you understand the chain, you can break it early.

Here is the full chain of behavior we are working with:

1. Root Love (Self vs. God)

The deepest motive driving everything. Love of self produces disorder; love of God produces life.

2. Lust Channel (Eyes, Flesh, Pride)

The craving system that activates desire and pulls the heart away from God.

3. Specific Ungodly Love / Temptation Object

A concrete desire becomes a substitute for God — comfort, control, recognition, escape.

4. Ungodly Belief

A lie forms to justify the desire and make it feel necessary.

5. Ungodly Emotion

Emotion fuels the belief and prepares the body to act: fear, anger, shame, envy, irritation.

6. Ungodly Thought / Inner Voice

Mental rehearsal: accusations, justifications, fantasies, arguments.

7. Ungodly Decision

The will chooses the self-serving path — often automatically.

8. Ungodly Behavior

The visible action: reacting, withdrawing, indulging, attacking, escaping.

9. Undesired Consequence

Shame, frustration, relationship damage, spiritual dullness, reinforced bondage.

We need to break the chain and clean out the roots wo we can get aligned with God’s intention for us

“Make the tree good and its fruit good.”
—Matthew 12:33

Why Other Change Strategies Don’t Work

Most secular or pop-spiritual approaches fail because they address only fragments of the chain — usually the behavior, emotion, or thought level — while ignoring the root. Only God can change what you love, and only God can uproot the lies that shape your identity and drive your desires.

Here are common strategies and where they fall short:

• **Self-help** — Tries to change habits but never addresses the heart’s motives or spiritual roots.
• **Positive thinking** — Focuses on thoughts but ignores beliefs, desires, and root love.
• **‘Love yourself’ ideology** — Attempts to heal emotions without addressing the reason they form: misplaced loves.
• **Secular therapy-only models** — Helpful for insight but limited in spiritual root healing.
• **Mindfulness/spirituality** — Tries to calm the mind but cannot transform desires or crucify the flesh.

These approaches may temporarily reduce symptoms, but they cannot heal the tree because they cannot change the heart. Only God can do that — when we give Him permission, align with His truth, and crucify the self-centered root.

Where True Transformation Begins

Transformation begins with intention — the desire to change. But desire alone accomplishes nothing unless it is expressed through obedience. Obedience is the first action that invites God into the root of the chain.

Once obedience is chosen, even before your emotions or thoughts agree, God begins reshaping your motives, healing your beliefs, retraining your emotions, and renewing your mind.

• Intention starts the journey.
• Obedience opens the door.
• The Spirit transforms the heart.
• A renewed heart produces sustained renewed behavior.

“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
—Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)

God’s Path for Transformation (The Only One That Actually Works)

God’s transformation path addresses every stage of the chain — root, belief, emotion, thought, and action. Here is the full sequence:

1. **Reveal the Root** — Ask God to expose what you really loved in the moment.
2. **Confront the Lie** — Identify the belief shaping your emotion.
3. **Insert God’s Truth** — Replace the lie with Scripture spoken aloud.
4. **Repent and Realign** — Realign your will with God.
5. **Crucify the Flesh** — Deny the self-centered motive.
6. **Choose Obedience** — Act on God’s truth even if it feels unnatural.
7. **Walk by the Spirit** — Depend on God’s power, not willpower.
8. **Practice Righteous Behavior** — Rewire the brain with repeated godly action.

This is the only process that changes the entire person — root, heart, mind, will, and behavior.

Where to Learn More

 Focus on Gods word – The truth will make you free

• Romans 12 – Renewing the mind
• Galatians 5 – Walking by the Spirit
• John 15 – Abiding in Christ

Resources

• Mark Virkler – Hearing God’s voice and emotional healing
• Neil Anderson – Freedom in Christ
• Dallas Willard – Renovation of the Heart

 

 

Why Do I Do Bad The Things I Do? Understand the Chain And Break It

Introduction

.Every person struggles with behaviors they don’t like. Angry reactions, withdrawal, avoidance, lust, overthinking, people-pleasing, defensiveness, and addiction-like cycles feel automatic and confusing. But nothing is random. Every behavior follows a precise internal chain. When you understand this chain, you can interrupt it and break it.

The principles that explain this chain are spiritual truths about the heart and how it functions. Behavior science confirms these truths and explains the mechanisms—how motives form, how beliefs shape emotion, how emotions direct thought, and how repeated cycles create automatic patterns.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
—Proverbs 23:7

Putting This Struggle in Perspective

When you repeatedly do things you do not want to do, it is not simply weakness. It is a sign of an internal system operating outside its original design. You were created to operate with pure Godly love, in truth perfectly aligned with God’s intentions, as a partner with Him in ongoing creation on this earth. When the heart is disordered—when self-centered love replaces God-centered love—the system becomes distracted and focused internally which diverts God’s love and builds layers and layers of unintended actions and reactions that work against Gods creation and harm ourselves and others.

Behavior science explains that most actions come from automatic patterns stored in the emotional brain. Scripture explains the same truth: patterns flow from the heart, and the heart directs the entire life.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
—Proverbs 4:23 

The Chain That Produces Undesired Behavior

Here is the sequence that leads to undesirable behavior. Each stage naturally produces the next, just as a seed produces a plant. The earlier you interrupt the chain, the easier it becomes to break the behavior.

1. Root Love (Self vs. God)

The deepest orientation of the heart. You will either act from love of God (serving God and His kingdom in obedience, trust, and holiness) or a love of self (serving your own interests through comfort, ego, control, safety) . Your heart is creative force, the root love determines the entire direction of the chain your heart drives.

2. Lust Channel (Eyes, Flesh, Pride)

If the heart is not rooted in Love of God and oriented to find satisfaction in serving Him, It will be oriented internally towards itself and will be looking for a source of satisfaction somewhere else.  There are three pathway through which self-centered love looks for love – Through thoughts in the mind focused on things the Eyes can see, Through feelings in the Heart focused on cravings of your physical earthly body. And through the Will which is trying to decide how you fit into this world.  These are powerful craving systems: bodily cravings, visual cravings, or prideful cravings. Scripture calls them lusts; neuroscience calls them reward pathways. This is the reality of our fallen heart “looking for love in all the wrong places” as the song goes.

3. Ungodly Love (Specific Temptation Target Object)

The heart will pursue the lust paths until if finds a target,  something to focus on, A concrete substitute for God.  This target object becomes the thing you desire: comfort, recognition, control, things, money, escape, praise, pleasure. This is the moment your heart says: “I need this to be okay.”

4. Ungodly Belief / Lie

A lie forms that justifies the desire: “I won’t be safe unless… I need this to feel better… I won’t be respected unless…” Beliefs generate emotions, and emotions generate action.

5. Ungodly Emotion (Energy)

The lie creates emotional force: fear, anger, shame, irritation, envy, anxiety, resentment. Emotions take control of your attention and push you toward action.

6. Ungodly Thoughts / Inner Voice

Your mind starts rehearsing narratives: accusations, justifications, fantasies, internal arguments, revenge scenarios. This is the brain preparing for behavior—mental rehearsal. If these thoughts are constrained by God’s truth, anything off track will be noticed and corrected,  If they are not constrained by a framework of Gods word and go out of bounds, they will trigger unhealthy emotions and build internal energy looking for a way to escape into action. 

7. Ungodly Decision

A choice is made—usually quickly and automatically—to serve the desire rather than obey truth. Decision is often subconscious unless interrupted.

8. Ungodly Action (Tangible Sin)

The visible behavior: words, reactions, habits, responses. The undesired action is simply the physical release of energy from the chain above it.

9. Ungodly Fruit (Undesired Consequences)

Ungodly behaviors have consequences that adversely impact your ability to serve God’s intended role for you. They either distract you, or impede your ability to function, or ruin relationships, or cut you off God, or cut you off from society: Inner turmoil, shame, relational conflict, spiritual dullness, or strengthened bondage. Consequences either reinforce the cycle or motivate change.

Where Does True Transformation Begin?

Transformation does not begin with behavior. It does not begin with willpower or trying harder. It begins with intention—a genuine desire to change. Intention expresses itself through obedience, even before your emotions or thoughts agree.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
—Romans 12:2

Behavior science confirms this: taking a small action in a new direction begins re-routing neural pathways. Spiritually, obedience aligns your heart with truth, and the Spirit uses your obedience to reshape your motives, beliefs, desires, and emotional patterns.

“Make the tree good and its fruit good…”
—Matthew 12:33

Therefore:

• Transformation begins with intention.
• Intention expresses itself through obedience.
• Obedience allows the Spirit to renew the heart.
• A renewed heart produces new behavior.

“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
—John 13:17

Breaking the Chain at Each Stage

You don’t have to wait for the behavior to happen. You can interrupt the chain early:

Root Love – Recommit to honoring God above comfort, ego, or control.
Lust Channel – Notice which craving is activated (eyes, flesh, pride).
Temptation – Name the ungodly love trying to take over.
Ungodly Belief – Identify the specific lie you are believing.
Ungodly Emotion – Label the emotion; naming reduces its control.
Ungodly Thought – Notice ungodly thoughts, Replace destructive scripts with truth.
Decision – Pause long enough to choose obedience.
Action – Practice the desired righteous behavior.
Life Fruit / Consequence – Reflect, notice opportunities to do better,  and adjust for next time.

“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
—Galatians 5:16

Breaking one link weakens the entire chain.

How Can I Apply This?

Journaling with Jesus is very effective:

Key Questions To Ask:

• Lord, What undesired behavior shall we fix today?
• What Ungodly love is driving it?
• What Ungodly belief is enabling it?
• What Godly truth will cut it off?

Then:

    • Repent for the undesired behavior, for pursuing ungodly loves, and for believing ungodly lies
    • Declare the Godly belief that guides us in the right direction,
    • Accept Jesus’ finished work on the cross,  by his stripes you are healed, by his blood you are cleaned/forgiven.
    • Crucify your flesh, deny self serving agendas and emotions and pick up your cross.
    • Put off the old man and his habits and behaviors
    • Put on the new man renewed in Christ.

There are specific strategies to defeat each of the three lusts –   

Lust of the Eyes

Lust of the eyes works in the mind, trying to build your identity based on things you can see – Give the mind something different to focus on

Stop studying and admiring (worshiping) things you do not really need at this point in your journey.

Focus on things above instead. – your identity and purpose, gods promises.

Declare your identity as a Born Again Child of God, Fleshly sin crucified with Christ, old ways buried in the grace, New man raised into new life.

Lust of the Flesh

Lust of the flesh works through the heat trying to pursue feleings, building up pleasures and avoiding pains..

Defeating the flesh requires discipline – Reading the word of God daily, Fasting

Pride of life

Pride of life work through the Will to build up our identity relative to others or put others down to minimize them

– above God and above others. 

Declare Submittal and trusting God

 

Focus on God’s Word

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
—Psalm 119:105

  • Romans 12 – Renewing the mind
  • Proverbs 4:20-23 – Pay Attention To Gods Words
  • Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
  • Galatians 5 – Walking by the Spirit
  • John 15 – Abiding in Christ

Where to Learn More

Many excellent resources are available, here are a few

• Dan Mohler – Put Off The Old – Put On the New
• Mark Virkler – Hearing God’s voice and inner healing

 

Why Is God’s Will Not Always Done?

Introduction

In our daily walk with God, it is essential to understand His will and align our lives accordingly. Yet, many factors can hinder the unfolding of His perfect plan. In this blog, we will explore what God’s will truly means, identify common obstacles that block its manifestation, and offer practical steps to avoid these hindrances.

Throughout the Bible, God’s plan for humanity is revealed as one of love, redemption, and transformation. His will encompasses both the overarching purpose for creation and the specific guidance He provides for our individual lives. However, just as a clear road can be obscured by obstacles, our spiritual journey can be derailed by various influences. Sometimes, these obstacles come from external influences, but more often, they arise from within—our doubts, fears, distractions, and sinful tendencies. By understanding these barriers, we can take active steps to ensure that God’s will is done in our lives and in our communities.  This post explores what God’s will truly is, the most common obstacles that block it, and how we can remove them to live fully in His purpose.

What Is God’s Will?

God’s will can be understood on multiple levels. At its core, it reflects His sovereign plan for the world, which includes both His redemptive purpose and the moral guidelines He provides for us:

  • General Will: This includes the grand narrative of salvation, the restoration of all things, and the ultimate victory of good over evil. Scripture tells us in passages like Romans 8:28 that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him”—a reminder of His continual involvement in every aspect of creation.
  • Personal Will: On a personal level, God’s will pertains to the choices we make daily. The Bible encourages believers to seek God’s guidance in decisions, as seen in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Here, God invites us to relinquish our limited perspectives in favor of His perfect wisdom.

Credible Christian authors such as John Piper and Tim Keller emphasize that discerning God’s will is not about rigid formulas but about cultivating a deep, personal relationship with Him. They suggest that through prayer, meditation on Scripture, and community accountability, we can begin to understand the divine purposes that God has set before us.

Is God’s Will Always Done? Is He Really “In Control?”

God’s will is that all should come to salvation (2 Peter 3:9), yet not everyone does. This highlights a key biblical reality: while God’s will is perfect, He has also granted humans free will, which allows for rejection of His plans.

One major reason His will is not always realized is our own selfish desires. When we prioritize personal ambition, sin, or pride, we align ourselves with the enemy’s schemes rather than God’s perfect path.

The devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8), and he influences people through temptation, deception, and distraction.

Yet, despite human failures and spiritual opposition, God’s ultimate purposes will be accomplished (Isaiah 46:10). He calls believers to align with His will through obedience, prayer, and faith, so that His kingdom may be revealed on earth as it is in heaven.

Obstacles to Execution of God’s Will

Lack of Knowledge of God’s Will

God declares in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Many fail to walk in God’s will simply because they do not understand it. If you do not seek to know what God desires, how can you follow it?

Ignorance of His Word leads to confusion, poor decisions, and a life out of alignment with His purpose. God encourages us to seek wisdom and ask Him for understanding (James 1:5).

Biblical Example: The Pharisees had great religious knowledge but lacked true understanding of God’s heart, leading them to reject Jesus (Matthew 23:23-24).

Doubt and Unbelief in God’s Word

One of the greatest obstacles to God’s will is doubt—not just ordinary questioning but a deep unbelief in His promises and character. This was the enemy’s tactic in the Garden of Eden when he asked Eve, “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1).

When we question God’s truthfulness, faithfulness, or ability, we hesitate in obedience. James 1:6-7 warns that “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” A person who constantly doubts God’s direction will struggle to take steps of faith.

Biblical Example: The Israelites doubted God’s ability to give them the Promised Land despite His miracles (Numbers 14). Their unbelief kept them wandering for 40 years instead of stepping into God’s will.

Unforgiveness

Unforgiveness is a serious obstacle that blocks the flow of God’s grace in our lives. Jesus made it clear that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us (Matthew 6:15). Holding onto resentment hardens our hearts and distances us from God’s presence.

If we expect to receive God’s mercy and guidance, we must extend the same mercy to others. A heart filled with bitterness cannot be aligned with God’s will.

Biblical Example: The parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35) teaches that refusing to forgive others will result in severe consequences from God.

Sin and Selfish Desires

Sin directly opposes God’s will. Whether through pride, lust, greed, or disobedience, sin clouds our judgment and weakens our ability to hear God’s voice. Isaiah 59:2 states, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God.” The more we entertain sin, the harder it becomes to recognize His leading.

Biblical Example: King Saul repeatedly disobeyed God, choosing his own desires over God’s instructions (1 Samuel 15). His rebellion cost him his kingdom.

Fear of Failure or Embarrassment

We can be paralyzed by fear. While doubt questions whether God is truthful, fear focuses on what could go wrong—failing, being rejected, or looking foolish in front of others. Many times, we know God’s will but hesitate to act because we fear failure or what people will think.

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” Fear is not from God, and when we allow it to control us, we miss opportunities to be used by Him.

Biblical Example: Peter walked on water toward Jesus but began to sink when fear overtook him (Matthew 14:30). His fear, not doubt in who Jesus was, caused him to stumble.

Worldly Distractions

Jesus warned about the “worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things” that choke out the Word (Mark 4:19). Our culture is filled with distractions—social media, entertainment, career ambitions—that can drown out God’s voice if we’re not careful.

Biblical Example: Martha was so distracted by serving that she missed the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet like Mary (Luke 10:38-42).

Spiritual Warfare:

Daniel 10 describes a delay in answered prayer due to demonic resistance, showing that unseen battles affect earthly outcomes.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [a]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

The Fallen World:

Jesus acknowledged that in this world, we will have trouble. The presence of sin and brokenness means that suffering and injustice can persist despite God’s desire for wholeness.

How to Overcome These Obstacles

  1. Repent and Turn from Sin – If sin is blocking God’s will in your life, confess and seek His grace (1 John 1:9).
  2. Seek Knowledge and Ask for Wisdom – Study the Bible and ask God to reveal His will to you (James 1:5).
  3. Fight Doubt with God’s Word – Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Regularly reading Scripture strengthens belief.
  4. Eliminate Distractions – Make time for prayer, worship, and Scripture instead of filling your mind with the noise of the world.
  5. Forgive Freely – Release bitterness and forgive others so that God’s grace can flow freely in your life (Matthew 6:14-15).
  6. Overcome Fear with Faith – Focus on God’s power rather than potential failure. Joshua 1:9 commands us to be strong and courageous.

References for Further Study

  • The Bible (Romans 8:28, Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:6, Isaiah 59:2, Hosea 4:6)
  • John Piper – “Desiring God” (Understanding God’s will as a pursuit of joy in Him)
  • Tim Keller – “Walking with God through Pain and Suffering” (Trusting God’s plan despite obstacles)
  • A.W. Tozer – “The Pursuit of God” (Deepening faith and reliance on God)
  • C.S. Lewis – “Mere Christianity” (Overcoming doubt through reason and faith)

By identifying and overcoming these obstacles, we can live fully in God’s will, growing in faith and becoming vessels for His glory. Let’s trust Him, step out in boldness, and remove anything that hinders His perfect plan.

 

Give Your Problems to Jesus

Anxious? Worried? Stressed? Those are emotions based in the physical life you are experiencing. Jesus made it very clear that He wants you to shift from a physical focus to a spiritual focus, and when you do that He can help you. He actually wants you to Give your problems to Jesus! So how do we do that?

1) Awaken your spiritual body

Acknowledge God and His Key Roles – Creator, Provider, Protector, Father,

2) Humble Your Self

I am a sinner in a sinful world. I was born with the sinful nature I got from Adam. I have been selfish and self-centered. When I am being self-centered, I love myself more than I love God. When I am being self-centered, I love myself more than I love others. My ego has played a very strong role in my life: What people think of me, What they say about me, What kind of car I drive, What kind of house I live in, My work life/title/role and My education status. God asks us to love God with ALL my heart – I have not, God asks us to love our neighbors more than ourselves, I have not. I am a sinner. The wages of sin are death. Per God’s righteous Law I am destined for hell, I need a savior.

3) Acknowledge Jesus is The Christ.

The old testament makes at least 47 predictions about a savior coming, He would be born to a virgin woman in Bethlehem. He would come from the blood line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, He would be exiled to Egypt, He would be called the son of God and the son of man. He would enter Jeruselem on a donkey. He would bear the burden of our sins on His body and be a sacrifice for our sins, He would be blameless, yet suffer and die via crucifixion with criminals, He would be resurrected and ascend to heave to be seated at God’s right hand. He would reign as king forever. Jesus did all of this and more. The odds of a single human accomplishing only 8 of the 47 predictions is 1 in 1 to the 1017.

4) Accept Him as Lord Of Your Life

Repent of your sins and your sinful nature, Turn from sinful ways. Reject self-centered agendas and self-conscious emotions, Deny yourself – This life is really not about me, it is about God and His kingdom. I am just a servant, a vessel for His use. Arms and legs to do His work. Invite Him to come and live in you. To teach you and guide you. To form in you. To help you put off the old you, and put on the new you. Submit yourself completely to Him.

5) See Things from God’s Perspective

Transform your mind to see things from God’s perspective. Focus on the spiritual dimension. What does God want to happen: We are all His children, He loves each of us, He put each of here with a purpose, That purpose is corrupted by sin, He sent His son to save us, His son wants to live inside us and help us become the person God intended when He made us. He will heal any damage inside us and empower us to thrive. We need to get ourselves (our selfish agendas) out of the way and trust in Him to do all that.

Talk to God daily; Read His word, Meditate on it, Seek to usnderstand Its message for your life

Talk to Him, Listen to Him. Become friends

Ask the why for your thoughts and actions.  What is driving you.  Is it Love of God and Love of neighbor?

Become love in action. His love is perfected when it flows through you to others.

6) Understand God’s will

He wants each of us to come to repentance and find Him.

He wants to come and form inside each of us to restore the original Image of God that was tarnished by Adam.

He wants each of us to live life in abundance with Him shining through us.

He wants each of us to become a bright shining light in a dark world. Examples for others to see the kingdom in aciton

When In Doubt of the details of Gods will in a situaiton, Humble yourself and Ask Him to guide your understanding.

7) Pray God’s will into place.

Speak Out loud. The power of death and life is in the tongue. God created the heavens and the earth by speaking. He SAID let there be light.. and there was.

Speak God’s will into place on earth. Grant your permission for God’s will to flow into place.

Pray fervently, boldly.  Pray as if you were a field commander instructing an army of angels in front of you to come in and engage in a life or death battle to execute this assignment from God.

8) Believe what you pray and you will receive it.

When you understand God’s will and are aligned with it, You can pray with confidence.

You must believe In your heart, that what you are asking for IS God’s will. When you do this, you can put all of your trust in Jesus to make it happen.

It is His Will, You are aligned with God’s will, and you are asking in Jesus name. When you believe it will happen, you can put your trust in Jesus with expectations of success. This defeats anxiety, worry and all those other physical emotions.

Supporting Scriptures:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Example Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank you for this life and for all you have done for me. Jesus thank you for coming here and doing your amazing work for us 2000 years ago. You are the Christ, you fulfilled the prophesy, Your body paid the price, your blood forgives our sins, and you are now at the right hand of the Father as eternal king..  I am a sinner in a sinful world. I confess my sins; I acknowledge that I have fallen short. I turn from my sinful ways and choose to follow you and your call to love God with all my heart and my neighbors as my self. I accept you as Lord of my life and invite you to come into me and lead me. Open the eyes of my understanding so that I see things from your perspective and understand your will. I know you want each of us to come to repentance and to follow you as Lord. I know you want to form inside each of us and to restore the image of God in us so that we can fulfill our purpose and flow your love to others.  I speak your will into place. I submit myself to you. I am clay, you are the potter. Transform me so that I can be of service to you.  I speak your will into place for my family and friends. May the eyes of thier understanding be opened to you and your purpose. May they feel your love. May they find your truth. May they reach repentance and submit to you as lord and savior. May they transforma and align with your will for thier lives and overcome this fallen world. I have faith that your will is good and true and I believe I am aligned the same intention. I put my trust in you.  I do not need to worry or be anxious, because I love you and you work all things to the good of those who love you. I speek this in Jesus name.  AMEN..    

Do you have a healthy fear of God? You need one! 

 

Jordan Peterson is a brilliant psychologist and deep thinker. When asked if he believes in God he replies: ”I live my life as if God is real.”  Then he explains what he means: He operates as if there is an all powerful God who is watching everything he does and will hold him accountable for any harm he causes others. From what I have learned, that is a pretty decent start.

So what is a fear of God?

Fear of God is a reverent deep respect and commitment to action we get once we embrace an image of God as the ultimate supreme being who:

  1. Invested energy to create this place
  2. Sent His son to save us form sin
  3. Put us here at this time and this place for a reason
  4. Knows everything we think, say, and do
  5. Will hold us accountable for how we have lived this life
  6. Determines how and where we will spend eternity

There are several aspects of accountability addressed in the bible: Judgement, Salvation, and Sanctification.  They are often blurred together but I find it useful to look at them individually and then see how they connect.   

Let’s build up the image from scripture.

Works and Judgement –  Accountable

God is omnipresent – He is everywhere watching everything you do

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

“You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:3)

You will be held accountable for how you live your life – what you think, say, do, and intend.

 “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

What you do matters: Your “works”

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” (Revelation 20:12)

What you say matters:

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Your purposeful thoughts matter:

“…whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28)

The intentions in your heart matter even more:

“Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

“I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10)

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

It is clear from this series of verses, that works matter.  That what you think, say and chose to do matters. This is not talking about salvation,  this is talking about sanctification – purifying. Rooting out any evil that remains in you, aligning you with God’s agenda for you, positioning you to be useful for His kingdom. 

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6)

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-21)

Sin and Salvation – Faith:

God set expectations of right and wrong for you:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” Matthew 22:37-39)

Deviating from God’s commandments is a sin, it is breaking His divine law.

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4)

Sin has consequences, those who break the law earn punishment.

“The wages of sin are death” (Romans 6:23)

Everyone has sinned, All fall short

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

“None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10) 

 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

You can not save yourself from sin, you need a savior

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Jesus is the savior, Believe in him and be saved.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Salvation is a matter of faith. You must believe that you are a sinner condemned to death and eternity in hell.  You must believe Jesus is God’s son, He came here in human form as a baby, Lived and died for you on the cross, and is resurrected and is now at the right hand of the Father fulfilling the scriptures. Once you have this knowledge in your mind, need to make a conscious decision to accept Him as your lord and savior in your heart and ask forgivness of your sins. this decision becomes faith when you choose to take action and confess it with your mouth. Once you have converted knowledge into faith by taking action, You have opened the door for Him to come in through grace and begin to do His work in you.   

“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) 

Why is a fear of God important? 

Fear of God is the beginning of a process, it provides motivation for you to invest your energy to learn about God, to understand  His expectations for you, and to draw you onto His desired path.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Learning about God requires an investment. It comes from reading the bible, listening to sermons, purposefully thinking and interpreting the messages. The big change happens when you ask God in earnest to help you gain understand and discern the truth; You will need a way to capture all He tells you. You then need to reflect on what you are learning, embrace the truth in your heart, and apply the truth in your life.

“My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
If you seek her (wisdom) as silver,
And search for her (wisdom) as for hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1-5)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7)

Once your fear of the lord brings you to actively purse understanding and you ask the Lord for help in earnest, He can begin to work inside you to build understanding and guide you onto the right path.

“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

As you come to understand God you learn that He has some expectations for you.  He summarizes those expectations in two  commandments.  Love God with all your heart, and Love your neighbor as your self. 

When you follow these commandments you align yourself with God’s agenda, you enable His love to flow through you, and create results that are useful to God and His kingdom.

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10)

When you chose to deviate from them it is always for selfish reasons, you are putting your agenda above God’s agenda. You are at war with Him in your mind, and that has consequences. 

You can then seek to understand the harm you have caused others. You can seek to understand the motivations that drive you. You can learn that all undesirable personality traits are rooted in self-centered/selfish agendas that remain in your heart. These agendas operate against God’s will for you; These agendas are rooted in evil and reinforced by forces operating in the world. Each selfish agenda has a name (Pride, Envy, Lethargy, etc.) and each is a sin.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)

Once you recognize them as sin, and that the consequence of sin is eternal death, you will figure out you need a savior. Once you repent of those sins, choose to turn from them and accept Jesus as your lord and saviour, you have opened the door to sanctification. Once you figure out what Jesus did for you, you will be compelled to live your life worthy of the price he paid for it. Once you do that, He will take you on a journey of discovery, reformation, and regeneration.

So how does this accountability work?

Near death experiences reveal one way this accountability takes place, it is through what is called a life review. When you pass away, the Lord and several senior angels will stand with you and review key events in your life in virtual reality. You will experience those events from the perspective of those who were impacted. You will see the harm caused to others by selfish or self-centered decisions you made. You will feel the impact of mean words you spoke to another person. You will see the impact of your negative thoughts and intentions on those around you. You will be significantly impacted by the disappointment you feel as all of this plays out in front of Jesus and the angels and you will hold yourself accountable.

What happens next is even more significant. Jesus will wrap his arm around you, convey His love for you and all those you impacted.  He will ask what you learned from what you just saw and experienced. If you figure out that your selfish agendas got you in trouble and can learn the lessons, you will be move forward towards heaven. If you convince yourself that your selfish agendas were somehow justified and reject Jesus love for you and all His children, you will be uncomfortable getting any closer to heaven.

I encourage everyone to watch a few NDE testimonies and see how this process works… see what kind of lessons the participants learned:

  • You are an eternal spiritual being
  • God loves you unconditionally
  • The Why for your life matters – Your intentions create your future
  • Don’t waste time, every moment is precious
  • Every human being is a cherished child of God deserving compassion
  • Your Words, and Actions impact the people around you and the planet
  • Don’t dwell in the past, don’t fear death, Become Love in action now

Here are a couple favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMe0T6TgNo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2QEXUIYL-U

An opportunity here and now

The opportunity you have in front of you is to do some of the life review process now. You will accelerate your learning process in this life and avoid embarrassment in front of the Lord then.  If you effectively repent of your errors now so you can change going forward, Jesus will erase your prior errors from the record.

Two practical ways to do it, one purposefully being led by the spirit, the other trying to use your rational mind. I address them in that order.

Lead by the spirit: Approach the Lord in your quiet place of prayer, be ready to capture what He tells you as you work through it.

1 – Position yourself and state your intention: Lord, Thank you for putting me here, for Loving me, and for never giving up on me. Lord, I want to be the best person I can be; The person you intended me to be when you put me here; Living a life worthy of the price you paid. Lord, You promise to provide wisdom and understanding generously to all who ask; well I’m asking. Lord, You know me inside and out. Please help me identify the flaws in my ways so I can work them with you here and now.

2 – Picture Jesus right in front of you, reach out and hold His hand if you wish. Quiet your conscious mind. Open your mind to receiving input from Him. As you work through the sequence of questions below, the answers will come as vivid memories, pictures, stories, pieces of scripture, or individual words. Write down what He shows you so you can reflect on it and process it after.

3 – Ask Him a question, open yourself to input, and record what He shows you.

 

  • Lord: When have I created adverse consequences for others.
    • He will show you a specific event…look for the impact you had
  • Lord: Which of my thoughts, words, or actions have caused harm?
    1. What did you do?
    2. What did you say?
    3. What were you thinking that allowed it to happen that way?
  • Lord: How are my thoughts not aligned with your will?
    • God’s will for you is to love God with all your heart and Love others as yourself.
    • When you do both, you become your best possible you. When you miss the mark on either it becomes a problem.
  • Lord: What intentions in my heart are not aligned with you and your kingdom
    • Look for any selfish agendas driving your thoughts, words, and actions
    • Doing things for my own benefit at the expense of others
    • Doing things to build my own image rather than God’s image
    • Doing things that ignore God’s role as creator, provider, redeemer, shepherd, saviour, etc

Using your rational mind: Position yourself in prayer as above, Thanking Him, and Asking for His help to make you the best person you can be. Then work through the series of questions above. Review memorable events in your recent past, notice which ones resonate. Look for adverse consequences, Reflect on the event, Look for specific thoughts, words or actions that set up those consequences. Reflect on your intentions. Look for the self-centered agendas in your heart that lie at the root of those counterproductive thoughts, words, or actions.

Use either method to gather your opportunities with specific incidents, actions, and motivations to work on. Now you want to  find the relevant scripture that resonates with the situation.

Use google and search for the topic:

       Google: Pride scripture  or Pride verses

Review what it offers. Read them, ponder them, see which ones resonate and illuminate your issues and opportunities. Often you can find two verses: One that describes the problem to be avoided:

          Ex: “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18);

And then one that describes the desired path to avoid it

Ex:  “…with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

Process through this process until you can restate the flaw in your thoughts or intentions as a sin against God

  • All sin is against God alone, it happens when we put our agenda above His.
  • He wants us to love Him with all our heart and love neighbors as ourselves.
  • Anything that runs counter to His agenda can be stated in terms of sin.

Some examples behaviors stated as sin :

Lie – Withhold truth from someone (Telling mistruth, Withholding truth)

Steal – Take something someone else deserves (Material, Withholding credit)

Murder – Cause severe harm (Physically, Emotionally)

Selfishness – Benefit self at expense of others

Envy – Want other peoples things for self

Pride – Focus on self image, taking / withholding credit

Arrogance – Viewing self somehow above others

Adultery – Compromise agreements with others

Idolatry – Worship things other than God (Things, Money, Work, Sports, Degrees, etc)

Fornication – Having sex outside of marriage

Repent of that sin, commit to improvement, and move forward in partnership with the Lord to live in a way aligned with His agenda 

Ex: Lord you ask that I love you with all my heart and love my neighbors as myself. I have fallen short by putting my own selfish agenda ahead of yours. My pride has gotten in the way of getting you credit for my efforts. I accept credit for my efforts and do not publicly acknowledge you as the source of my talents and strength. I thank you for helping me see the issue and understand it. I am committed to be humble and serve your children whenever possible and be a beacon for your kingdom not for my own ego. Thank you for helping me be the best person I can be and bring glory to the Father. I ask this in your name. AMEN

Continue to reflect and repent, learn and apply as you go. As you weed out the issues and truly put them behind you, you will be a better person in this life and the Lord erases them from your record so you don’t have to deal with them later.  

Having a “Fear of God” can be a bit confusing.  

Establishing a healthy fear of the God is a good first step to getting on the right track with your life.  

Set yourself up for Divine Healing – Key Beliefs to Hold

 

The promise of Healing

Jesus’ ministry involved teaching people about God and the kingdom, casting out devils, and healing the sick. He commissioned followers to continue His work and make disciples of all nations. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us, full authority over the devil, and permission to use His name. He told us believers would do the same works He did: casting out devils and healing the sick. Sadly many suffer today, and few actually realize this scriptural promise.

I have seen two primary causes for this missed opportunity:  One is lack of knowledge or understanding and the other is unbelief; people either never got much Christian education in the area of healing, or their education was biased by selective interpretation of the bible. The devil has been very effective at getting the Christian population divided into segments with different interpretations of the bible. Many church leaders and devoted followers are so emotionally committed to defending their version of teachings and traditions they struggle to read the Word of God objectively and they miss out as a result.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)  

It doesn’t help that the original works have been translated and the original intent is sometimes obscured.  The good news is you have the tools to figure it out. And the Holy Spirit will tell you in your “knower” when you get it right.   ex: Look up how the Greek word “Sozo” is used in the new testament.

Many read the bible as a collection of stories but fail to glean a deep understanding of the nature and will of God. This is most critical. Without confidence in your heart of Gods will and intention, you will be filled with doubts and will be unsteady when confronted with challenges in your life. If you do not know God’s will for your life, you can not act in faith.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Ephesians 1:17)

Since the day Jesus ascended to heaven, the devil has been working overtime to get people distracted from what Jesus actually did for us. People have become focused on superficial messages, dependent on unending forgiveness for ongoing transgressions, and pursuing wonderful worship music and a happy feeling once a week to offset the mess they live every day.  Many are not doing the serious work of repentance and transformation He intended when He died to get us out of sin. Many cling to superficial soundbites rather than being rooted in the actual Word of God. Many of those superficial soundbites are actually lies.  Here are a few common lies that lead to unbelief and can stand in the way of divine healing.

Common lies and sources of unbelief

  1. Some believe miracles are not for today, They claim Jesus was not human but was God so only he could do miracles, and the 12 apostles and the initial 70 were specially anointed men so only they could do miracles. Things are somehow different now so miracles can not happen.  These folks don’t believe John 14:12 – Jesus expects “Believers” to do the same works as He did …and more. 
  2. Some believe healing only comes through those with a special gifting.  They do not believe Mark 16:17-18 – “Believers” will cast out demons and heal the sick.
  3. Some think illness is normal, they don’t believe illness is of the devil.  They do not believe Ephesians 6:4 – We do not struggle against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities.
  4. Some believe illness and even death is God’s will for them. They do not believe  2 Peter 3:9 – The lord does not will any to die but that all should come to repentance and live, or John 10:10 – The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus comes that they may have life, and life in abundance.
  5. Some believe God works in mysterious ways and you can not possibly know His will. They do not believe Ephesians 5:17 where he bluntly tells us not to be foolish and to understand the will of the Lord. And John 14:7 where Jesus revealed the Fathers will through His life and actions, if you know Me you know the Father.

My personal testimony refutes each of these lies and confirms the truth in the Word of God. Healing is for now and you can have it if you actually believe the truth in the Word of God, and act in faith.

I have come to appreciate a series of fundamental beliefs that form a foundation for divine healing. We need to get each of these fundamentals square in our mind, convert them to beliefs we hold deep in our heart, and then act on them in faith so that God’s grace can flow into our situation.

Moving from Understanding to Belief to Faith to Grace.

The Holy kingdom operates on Faith. You recieve faith when you understand the promises in the bible and decide to act on them (Thinking, Speaking, Doing) before there is any tangible physical evidence to support them.  When you act on a promise in faith, you create space and the tension for Grace to flow in.

Example: When you wake up feeling tired but proclaim “Good morning Jesus, Thank you for another day, It is going to be great having you with me all day and we will shine!” … you are ignoring your current reality, proclaiming a promise, and making space for God’s grace to flow in to your day.  If you had said: “Boy I feel like crap…this must be another Monday and it is really going to suck.”  there is no room for God’s grace to do anything positive for you.

Another example: When someone prays for healing, and at the end they say – “Lord, heal me if it is Your will”, or “Thanks for praying for me, prayer cant hurt, I’ll let you know if anything changed…”,  they have removed all faith from the situation. There is no sincere belief in a promise, no clear expectation for results, no acting in faith, no room for God’s grace to flow in.   

God’s solutions flow into your life by Grace. You make room for grace when you act in Faith – Thinking , Speaking and Doing. If you are not acting in faith in anticipation and expectation of God’s miraculous move, there is no pathway or space and no tension for His grace to flow in.

The first thing we need to do to get this started is to establish some solid beliefs. Beliefs start with gaining understanding in your mind.  We read or hear a piece of scripture, research it, figure out what it means,  how does it fit in context, how does it fit with the overall narrative, what are its implications, do I believe my interpretation is truth, what do I need to do differently based on my new understanding.  When working though a topic It helps to try to explain it, reflect on it, and even defend it in discussion.  As we begin to see how each one fits and how they bring merit and value, they become established as truths in our mind and beliefs in our heart. When we are willing to act on those beliefs by speaking or doing we are building faith. Divine healing comes only through acting in Faith, so we need to get these key beliefs in place and build faith.

The key belief foundation for divine healing

Work through the following chain of beliefs.  Do you fully understand the point? Can you explain it? Can you defend it?  Do you fully embrace it? Are you living your life by it?  Would you bet your life on it? We need to get to the level where we are living our life believing in our heart that each is true and expecting the results they promise.    

  1. Believe God is pure love, He loves you, and His will is for you to live a long life and bear fruit for the kingdom under His protection.
  2. Believe Illness is of the devil and he is stealing life from you.
  3. Believe Sin separates us from God’s protection, and opens the door for the devil – Adam’s sin, Your sin, Sins of prior generations.
  4. Confess your sins (Known and unknown), Repent (regret causing the damage you have caused), and Turn from them – commit to avoid them (Sins known and unknown, including unbelief in the written word).
  5. Believe in the Gospel story, (virgin birth into sinful flesh, resisted temptation and lead sinless life, blood shed as an innocent sacrifice, body becoming sin cursed on a pole, resurrection in the flesh bringing eternal life for all who believe)  Confess your belief and Accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior.
  6. Accept His love, the gracious forgiveness through His blood, and the merciful salvation through His resurrection.
  7. Accept redemption and righteousness through Jesus’ intercession – reunion with the Father as before Adam’s sin.
  8. Believe your spirit is born again, and you are now an adopted son of God – heir to the kingdom and all its’ promises.
  9. Transform your life by transforming your mind – so you can follow Jesus as lord and live a life worthy of the price He paid.
    • Deny yourself: Stop purely self-centered interests – Focus on Jesus and flowing His love through you to others.
    • Pick up your cross: Separate yourself from the world, Resist temptation; Think, Speak, and Act righteously; Expect to suffer persecution for the cause.
    • Follow Him: Humble yourself, Know the Word, Get to know Him, Come into union, Live by the spirit, Continue His work.
  10. Accept the commission to continue His work as the body of Christ – Become the light in the darkness, Find the lost, Testify ot the truth, Defeat the works of the devil.
  11. Ask for and Receive the Holy Spirit – to help you, teach you, and correct you. Believe the resurrection power that raised Jesus is in you, the power to heal your flesh.
  12. Believe any believer with the Holy Spirit can do today what Jesus did then – know the will of the father, cast out demons, heal the sick.
  13. Believe and use the Word of God as the sword of the spirit – Truth, Permanent and Unchanging,  Purposeful and Powerful, Seed that must be sown and nurtured, Becomes Alive and Active in us, Forms building blocks of our faith. Legally binding in spiritual world, we must enforce it. 
  14. Believe you are seated in heavenly places and have full authority over the devil.
  15. Believe the devil no longer has a legal right to you – your sins are forgiven, your consequences have been paid, you are righteous through Jesus.
  16. Believe you are righteous. Jesus paid for it, enforce the Word of God, rebuke the devil, and cast him out on your authority in Jesus Name.
  17. Believe God’s will is for you to be healed right here and right now. “Jesus did the Fathers will” “Jesus healed all” “Jesus does not chage”
  18. Claim the promise of healing – “Confess your sins, Prayer of faith heals the sick”, “He sent His word and healed us”. “By His stripes I WAS healed”
  19. Speak God’s will into place – “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. This is your will. “I was healed”, “I am healed”, “It is written”.
  20. Enforce the word of God in faith – “ask anything in Jesus name”, “I believe and I receive”  “All promises are yes and AMEN”.

Supporting Scripture

  1. Believe God is love, He loves you, and His will is for you to live a long life and bear fruit for the kingdom under His protection.

“…God is love” (1 John 4:7)

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”(1 John 4:9)

“You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. (Deuteronomy 5:33-33)

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians….” (Exodus 15:26)

“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

  1. Believe Illness is of the devil and he is stealing life from you.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12)

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10);

  1. Believe Sin separates us from God’s protection and opens the door for The devil – Adam’s sin, Your sin, Sins of prior generations.

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”. (Romans 5:12)

“ … For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,…” (Deuteronomy 5:9)

“Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.” (Proverbs 26:2)

  1. Confess your sins and Repent (Sins known and unknown, including unbelief in the written word).

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19)

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8)

“For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”(2 Chronicles 30:9b)

“For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32)

  1. Believe in the Gospel story, (virgin birth into sinful flesh, resisted temptation and lead sinless life, blood shed as an innocent sacrifice, body becoming sin cursed on a pole, resurrection in the flesh bringing eternal life for all who believe)  Confess your belief and Accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16)

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”(Mark 1:15)

“…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

  1. Accept His love, the gracious forgiveness by His innocent blood, and the merciful salvation and eternal life through His resurrection.

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9)

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

“Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven” (Mark 3:28).

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

  1. Accept the redemption He paid for, and the righteousness He provides through intercession – reunion with the Father – perfect union as it as before Adam’s sin – Access to the Holiest of Holy Places – The throne in Heaven – The veil is removed.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7)

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“…the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe..” (Romans 3:21-23)

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

 

  1. Believe your spirit is born again, and you are now an adopted son of God – heir to the kingdom and all its’ promises.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:15-17)

  1. Transform your mind so you can follow Jesus as Lord, and live a life worthy of the price He paid.

“…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6-8)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24)

      • Deny yourself: Stop purely self-centered interests, Focus on Jesus and flowing His’ love through you to others.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (James 3:14-16)

“but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” (Romans 2:8)

“…and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8)

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)

      • Take up your cross: Seporate yourself from the world. Resist temptation; Think, Speak, and Act righteously; Expect to suffer persecution for the cause.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15)

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

      • Follow Him: Humble yourself, Know the Word, Get to Know Jesus, Come into union, Live by the spirit, Continue His work.

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23)

  1. Believe you have the Holy Spirit operating inside you – and the resurrection power will heal your flesh

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26)

“…if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)

  1. Believe any believer today can do what Jesus did then – cast out demons, heal the sick

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12)

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)

  1. Accept the commission to continue His work as the body of Christ – Become a light in the darkness, Find the lost, Defeat the works of the devil.

“…As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

“I am the light of the world”(John 8:12)  now “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)

“for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”(Luke 19:10)

“… For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”(1 John 3:8)

  1. Embrace the Word of God as the sword of the spirit – Truth, Permanent and Unchanging,  Purposeful and Powerful, Seed that must be sown and nurtured, Becomes Alive and Active in us, Forms building blocks of our faith. Legally binding in spiritual world, we must enforce it. 
  • It is part of God, permanent and unchanging

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18)

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”(Isaiah 40:8) 

  • It is pure truth

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)

“Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

“The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” (Psalm 119:160)

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6)

  • It has a purpose and will accomplish its purpose

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) 

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

“He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”(Psalm 107:20)

  • It is spiritual food, we must eat it, sow it into our mind and heart

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”
(1 Peter 2:2)

“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22)

“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:18-23)

  • It becomes alive and active in us

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

“Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23)

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7)

  • It forms the building blocks of our faith

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”(Romans 10:17)

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”(Acts 20:32)

  • We must hold fast to the word in order to shine in a fallen world 

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. ( hilippians 2:14-16a)

“Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.” (Proverbs 4:5)

“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12)

“…blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28) 

  • It is binding, enforced

‘“None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord God.’ (Ezekiel 12:28)

  • We are to actively wield it as a sword to stand against the devil and hold him accountable.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

“…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” Ephesians 6:14-18)

  1. Believe you are seated in heavenly places and you have full authority over the devil.

“By the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:20)

“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.”(2 Corinthians 3:16)

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19)

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

  1. Believe the devil no longer has a legal right to you – your sins are forgiven, your consequences have been paid, you are righteous through Jeus

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

  1. Stand in the righteousness Jesus paid for, positioned in heavenly places and enforce the word of God, cast out the devil on your authority, in Jesus name

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16).

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6)

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

  1. Believe God’s will is for you to be healed right here and right now. “Jesus did the Fathers will” “Jesus healed all” “Jesus is unchanging”

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

“He made known to us the mystery of His will…” (Ephesians 1:9)

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38)

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:7-9)

“…And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick…” (Matthew 6:16-17)

“And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19)

“Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.” (Mark 6:56)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

  1. Claim the promise of healing – “Confess sins, Prayer of faith heals the sick”, “By his stripes I was healed”, “

“He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20)

“…I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 30:17)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:23)

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:14-16)

“But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2)

“…by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24)

  1. Speak God’s will into place – Your word is truth, Your will is healing, “It is written”, I will pray it into place.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21)

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10)

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” (James 5:17)

“I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2)

  1. Act in faith: “ask anything in Jesus name”, “I believe and I receive” “All promises are yes and AMEN”.

”And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24)

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

How do you avoid a second death? 

 

Thought for the day: Dying once is hard enough to deal with, What is the scond death and how do you avoid it?

The bible mentions a second death several times, It is associated with a sinful person spending eternity in Hell, burning with brimstone in the Lake of fire. Brimstone is sulfer and makes nasty sulfuric acid fumes as it burns; It would be best to avoid getting anywhere near such a fire.   

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelations 21:8)

To understand a second death, lets be clear on the first death; To do that we need to understand our basic nature. We are spiritual souls born into a physical body. The physical body is formed of earthly flesh in the mothers womb and experiences physical death. The soul is formed of spiritual substance in the mothers womb and is released to retern to God after physical death of the body. 

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)

“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

The soul is eternal and will exist forever.  Once it is released after the death of our physical body, the first death, it will transition to either eternal “life” in heaven or eternal “death” in hell.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

The concept of spiritual Life and Death is introduced as a tree metaphor thorughout the bible. Eating of the “tree of life” comes from becoming righteous and following Gods commandments. When we Love Him first, and Love others as ourselves, we become fruitful and prosperous in this life and will experience eternal life connected with God in paradise.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life…” (Proverbs 11:30)
“…To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” (Revelation 22:14-15)

Eating of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” is the opposite; Operating on your own self-centered agenda, separate from God and his protections. If you operate in this way, you will gain knowledge of good and evil from first hand experience. Your self-centered sinful ways will lead you on a downward spiral of poor decisions and destructive consequences. Hopefully, at some point, you will reflect and realize this path might not be working out for the best. You have your entire life to discover the Lord as your savior and change your ways. If you choose to leave this earthly life in self-centered sinful mode, you will have missed your chance. Your soul will spend eternity separated from God and His life giving Love and Truth; You will be open to torment from the Devil without the civil laws of society on earth, “burning” in the lake of fire.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen 2:17)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” . . . Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Let’s understand how this works; God offers us protection from evil. Sin causes separation from God and His protections

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:20)

“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

Sin has consequences, Continued sin leads to death of the soul, or spiritual death

“For the wages of sin is death,…” (Romans 6:23)
“Behold, all souls are mine;…the soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)

So how do we avoid spiritual death?

We have two levels in our mind – an inner spiritually oriented mind – and an outer carnal / flesh oriented / emotion driven mind

“I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 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.” (Romans 7:21-23)

The two levels of your mind are in conflict with very different priorities. Our outer / emotional self wants to pursue fleshly desires – ignoring God’s commandments – sin. The inner self (our mind) recognizes God’s love, the law/commandments, and wants to avoid sin and pursue goodness.

“For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.” (Galatians 5:17)

One level of your mind will always be dominant.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)

Our carnal oriented outer mind is actually at war with God

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7)

If we let the outer mind continue on its selfish fleshly agenda it will take us to spiritual death.

“Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:15)

We are born with the outer mind dominant which gives us our sinful nature.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)
“Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:3)
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18)

We must turn from evil as sin against God to drive a wedge against the carnal mind.

“…for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13)
“For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32)

When we truly repent of our sins, Jesus gift of forgiveness allows us to move forward without the burden of guilt that buried us under the law, and allow us to prosper in eternal life.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”(Acts 3:19)
(Are they worse sinners?) ” I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3/5)
“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions” (Colossians 2:13)

We must develop the inner mind with sufficient knowledge and discipline to counter and totally overcome the dominance of the outer mind, and escape the corruption of self-centered agendas in the flesh.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust..” (2 Peter 1:4)
“Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

The outer mind is so dominant that the only way for the inner mind to actually win this war is to completely submit yourself to Jesus as your lord and savior.

“ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 8:24-25)
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8)
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

We become born again with a fresh start and spiritual support system, Say good by to the old man, hello to the new.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.’ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:6-11)

And to use the holy spirit to help you put aside all fleshly agendas that compete.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3)

To become committed to living a life worthy of the price he paid.

“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27)
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Conclusion:

The risk of second death is a really big deal – It is eternity – and it is Hell. As long as we are reunited with God through true repentance for sins and belief in Jesus’ resurrection – the second death has no power over us.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11)
“Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

 

  1. Turn from Evil as Sin against God. Repent of your sins
  2. Accept Jesus as your lord and savior
  3. Actively pursue transformation of your mind to see things from God’s perspective
  4. Listen to the Holy spirit for guidance
  5. Strive to live a life worthy of the price HE paid.

 

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions or comments.