The Spiritual Hope

Scriptures: Galatians 3:13-14

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.“

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the law because we have been delivered from it. It is written, “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:6) Therefore, the blessings that we receive from God in the New Testament are no longer based on the principles of blessings and curses, as is the case in the law, but are based on the blessing of Abraham. 

What exactly is the blessing of Abraham?  When God called Abraham to go out of his country to a land that He would show him, leaving his relatives and his father’s house, He said to him, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3) What God said to Abraham was not only that He would bless him, but that He would also make him a blessing. Thus, the blessing of Abraham is not about being blessed but about being a blessing.

What is the difference between being blessed by God and being a blessing of God?  If we are blessed by God, then we will receive good things from God. However, if we are a blessing of God, then we will bring the good things from God to others. Not only what we do will bless them, but our very presence among them will bring a blessing from God to them. Therefore, the blessing of Abraham is not really about how we can receive blessings from God, but rather about how our lives can be blessings of God for people. It is written, “The generous soul will be made rich (Whoever brings blessing will be enriched), and he who waters will also be watered himself.” (Proverbs 11:25)

The blessing of Abraham is very different from the blessing of the law. The blessing based on the law requires obedience in our actions. If we obey and do what the law commands, we will be blessed. But, if we disobey and break the commandments of the law, we will not be blessed. In fact, we will be cursed because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” (Galatians 3:10) The blessing of Abraham does not require any obedience in our actions from us. This Abrahamic blessing was given by God to us as grace. How can we receive God’s grace? There is only one way, and that is by faith (Romans 5:2). We believe and we receive it.

What will happen when the blessing of Abraham is in our lives? The first thing that will happen is we want to be a blessing to others. Then, we will do the things that will bless them. But, there is something else that will happen. When this Abrahamic blessing is full in our lives, then our presence among the people or our connection with them is enough to make them receive God’s blessings. They will be blessed even when we do not do anything specific to bless them. Yes, the blessing will come because of us, but not because of what we do to them. This is the great power of the blessing of Abraham.

The clearest example of a person whose life was blessed because of Abraham was his nephew Lot. Abraham, who was still called Abram at the time, was very rich in livestock, silver and gold (Genesis 13:2). And Lot who went with Abraham had flocks, herds, and tents (Genesis 13:5). Lot was blessed with great wealth because Abraham was in his life. Likewise, Lot was taken out of the city of Sodom before God destroyed it. Why did God save Lot? Yes, Lot was righteous in his life, but the main reason God saved him was because God remembered Abraham whom he was connected with. It is written, “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.” (Genesis19:29)


What will happen to us when we have the blessing of Abraham in our lives? We will experience that whatever people do to us will come back on them. If they bless us, then they will be blessed by God. But, if they curse us, then their curse will backfire on them. This blessing of Abraham makes us immune to any curse that is directed at us, even the curse will bounce back to the one who sent it. On the other hand, if someone blesses us, then the blessing will return to him, so that he will be even more blessed by God.

How can we have the blessing of Abraham’ in our lives? This blessing of Abraham is actually the promised Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:14). So, the most important thing that we must do to have the blessing of Abraham is to receive the Holy Spirit and to keep that Holy Spirit full in our lives. The Holy Spirit will then work within us, making our hearts willing and wanting to do something to bless others. This is ‘the blessing by action’ stage. If we continue to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts that we bless people consistently, then over time the heart that always blesses will be formed in us. When this heart has been formed, then we will become the blessing itself. This is ‘the blessing by life’ stage. When we are in this stage, people will get blessed by God because of our presence in their lives or our connection with them. Even if we do not specifically do anything to bless them, they will still be blessed by God.

As it has been mentioned, the blessing of Abraham is actually the grace of God given through Christ because Christ is the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16). When Christ lived on earth as Man, He blessed people by what He did to them. But, now He is no longer on earth but in heaven. So, how does He bless people from heaven? By His presence through the Holy Spirit who is given to us. Therefore, like Lot who received the blessings of Abraham because of Abraham’s presence in his life and his connection with him, we receive the grace of God because of Christ’s presence in our lives and our connection with Him. The presence of Christ in our lives will in turn bring His grace to others.

There are three conditions of our will :

1. Taken captive by the devil.

2. Free to decide on our own.

3. Surrendered to God.

If our will is taken captive by the devil, then we cannot do what we have to do. If our will is free, then we can do what we have to do after we have made a conscious decision to do it. If our will is surrendered to God, we will do what we have to do without seemingly making a conscious decision to do it.

Before we believe in the Lord Jesus, our will is taken captive by the devil. We cannot decide nor choose freely. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, our will is set free. We can decide and choose with our free will. When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, God makes it possible for our will to be completely surrendered to Him. When we are full of the Holy Spirit, it is God who works in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure that our decision is actually His decision and our choice is actually His choice.

When we believe in the Lord Jesus we enter the kingdom of God and begin our relationship with God. To keep and develop this relationship with God we need prayer and worship. What is prayer? What is worship? What is the difference between them? Prayer is the expression of our dependence on God and worship is the acknowledgement of our origin from God. We pray because we need God and we worship because we come from God.

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalms 121:1-2)

The psalmist said that his help did not come from himself or from others but from the Lord. If we think we can help  ourselves or we can ask for help from others, then we do not need to pray. But if we think we can only get help from God, then we need to pray. Why? Because when we pray we change our dependence from ourselves or others to God.

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalms 95:6)

Our relationship with God should not only be about depending on Him so that we can get help from Him. We must not forget that we come from God. God is our Creator, our Maker, and we should always remember that. How do we acknowledge God as our Maker? By worship. When we come to God we should kneel and bow down before Him.

Prayer and worship can be seen as our two hands. We need both of our hands to do many things. If we only have one hand there are many things that we will not be able to do. In the same way, we need both prayer and worship to maintain as well as to grow our relationship with God. If we pray only or worship only, we will lack many things in our relationship with God. But if we do both, we will not lack anything in our relationship with God. Our relationship with God will be rich.

The connection between prayer and worship can be like a balloon and the air. The size of a balloon when it is inflated is proportional to the amount of air in it. More air inside the balloon causes the balloon’s size increases. Likewise more worship increases the capacity of prayer. The more we acknowledge that we come from God, the more we will realize that we need God. We will depend on God more.

We expect God to answer our prayer every time we pray. However, if our prayer is not answered although we have prayed for a long time, then we should pause from praying and change to worship. Why? Because worship will increase our capacity in praying. As we worship we will see that our prayer is answered or we will realize that our prayer is wrong. If our prayer is wrong, then we should change our prayer.

When we pray to God and our prayer is not answered, it is either we pray wrongly or we pray rightly but there is something lacking in our prayer. We pray wrongly if the motives of our hearts are selfish, in order to spend the answer of our prayer for our own pleasures (James 4:3). We pray rightly if we ask God to bless us but something is lacking in our prayer if we do not think of giving ourselves to be a blessing to others when God blesses us (1 Pet 3:9).

Prayer becomes wrong when it is done with selfish motives. We ask God for something that we may spend on our pleasures. Prayer becomes right when it is done with unselfish or good motives. We ask God for something that we may use  to meet our needs. Prayer becomes perfect when it is done with sacrificial motives. We ask God for something that we may use to help others who are in need.

When we pray, we can pray wrongly, rightly or perfectly. If we pray wrongly, our prayer will not be answered. If we pray rightly, it may still take some time for our prayer to be answered because something is still lacking in it. So, if we are not patient, our prayer may seem to be unanswered. If we pray perfectly, our prayer will be answered immediately because there is nothing lacking in it.

When we pray wrongly we often do not realize it. So we wait and wait but our prayer is not answered. When we pray rightly we often think there is nothing more we can do except wait for the answer from God. Actually what we should do besides praying is worship. Worship will change the way we pray. Our wrong prayer will be made right and our right prayer will be made perfect.

We pray wrongly because we have selfish motives. Worship will purify the motives of our hearts. We pray rightly but not perfectly because we only think about our own needs and the needs of the people in our inner circles. Worship will transform the motives of our hearts to be sacrificial and broaden the sphere of our prayer that it includes the needs of the people outside our inner circles.

Scriptures: Romans 12:4-5

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,  so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. (NKJV)

We are the body of Christ here on Earth. The church itself and it takes everyone of us to make it complete. All of us is needed in the body of Christ.

The Bible says, ”  Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others. (Romans 12:4-5 TLB)

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

You may say ” I’m just a toenail in the body of Christ or an ankle. “Have you ever hurt your ankle or lost your toenail? You notice it. It was just a small part of your body but sure you noticed it was hurting or missing. That’s the way it is in the body of Christ. Everybody is significant.

The same thing with jigsaw puzzle. When you put them together and one piece is missing, what are you going to do? You will notice it, you will look for it. That one piece missing is important to complete the whole puzzle. Everyone is important to complete the body of Christ.

All of us have different roles and purposes, we should live in the way that Christ live on Earth. As a body of Christ, love one another, honor your brothers and sisters in Christ. Care for them and encourage one another to fulfill your purpose to one another.

” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.  And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,  while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.  If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” 1 Corinthians 12:22-26 (NLT)

Scriptures: Hebrews 6:11-12

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Hope is absolutely necessary if we want to inherit God’s promise, especially when the situation we are experiencing does not show any sign that His promise will be fulfilled.  Hope enables us to say, “Even though it is unlikely, it is possible.” Therefore, it is very important for us to always have the full assurance of hope of God’s promise within us. When we have this full assurance of hope, we will no longer doubt or wonder whether God’s promise will be fulfilled or not. We will be sure and not become sluggish in waiting for this promise.

The fulfillment of God’s promise is determined by two main factors:

1) Time appointed by God Himself.

2) The attitude of our hearts in waiting.

In general, God’s promise will only be fulfilled in His time. But, it can be delayed because of the attitude of our hearts.  A lack of sincerity makes us sluggish and this will slow down the fulfillment of His promise.

How can we not become sluggish in waiting for God’s promises?

1) Turning hope into faith.

Faith is the substance of things we hope for (Hebrews 11:1). Something we hope for is something that we are waiting for, something that we expect to receive some time in the future, which is God’s promise. Faith brings the future to the present. It makes God’s promise real to us now, even before it is actually fulfilled.

 2) Seeing patiently while preparing.

Patience is the ability to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promise. God’s promises will surely be fulfilled in due time. However, He wants us to always see this promise in His presence, so that we can know how we should prepare ourselves and know the signs of the fulfillment of His promise.

God’s promise in Christ is always ‘yes’ and ‘amen’, as it is written, “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)

“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

In our lives, we often have to face an impossible situation, which is a situation that we cannot change by ourselves. We may have tried to change it many times in various ways, but still the situation that we face has not changed. As believers, we realize that only God can change that situation. So, we then pray to God. However, the prayer that can change an impossible situation is not the normal prayer but the prayer that breaks through the situation.

“So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.” (2 Samuel 5:20)

The kind of prayer that can change an impossible situation in our lives is not the normal prayer but the breakthrough prayer. The normal prayer is like the rivers of waters that stay within the banks. The waters do not overflow the land, let alone overturn all that stands in their way. On the other hand, the breakthrough prayer is like rivers of waters, which break the banks, and overflow the land, and overturn all that stands in their way.

“Has the Lord’s arm been shortened?” (Numbers 11:23)

Praying the normal prayer is praying for something which is still possible in our situation while praying the breakthrough prayer is praying for something what is already impossible in our situation. For example, a couple in their thirtys pray that God will give them a child because they have been married for more seven years but still childless and another couple in their ninetys like Abraham and Sarah pray that God will give them a child because they have been married for sixty years but still childless. The first couple can still pray the normal prayer because it is still possible for them to have a child, but the second couple cannot pray the normal prayer because it is absolutely impossible for them to have a child. They must pray the breakthrough prayer.

“And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.” (Matthew 14:28-31)

Breakthrough prayer is not the same as desperate prayer. What is the difference? Breakthrough prayer is a bold prayer of faith while desperate prayer is a helpless cry out of fear. Breakthrough prayer is like Simon Peter asking the Lord Jesus to command him to come to Him on the water while desperate prayer is like Simon Peter crying out to the Lord Jesus for help when he was sinking in the sea. To ask the Lord Jesus to command him to come Him on the water is a very bold request, and the Lord granted his request. To ask the Lord Jesus to save him from sinking is a helpless and desperate cry out, and in His mercy the Lord heard his cry. God will always answer our breaktrough prayer because of our bold faith in Him while He may sometimes answer our desperate prayer because of His great mercy for us.

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” (Ephesians 4:12)

When we are in a desperate situation, we are sinking like Simon Peter sinking in the sea. What did he do then? He cried out to the Lord for help. Likewise, we should also cry out to God for help. He will hear our cries and save us like what He did to Simon Peter. After we have been saved, God wants us to have a steady life. A steady life is like Simon Peter and the other disciples inside the boat going to the other side on a calm sea. All they needed to do was direct the boat to their destination. When we live a steady life, we still need to pray consistently in order to keep ourselves from falling into a desperate situation again and to direct our lives according to God’s direction. Nevertheless, sooner or later storm will come into our lives. When this happens, we should not be afraid but calm, because this storm is actually a sign from God that it is time for us to go up to the next level. The storm is a challenge for us to do something that we have never done before. It is time for us to pray the breakthrough prayer like Simon Peter asking the Lord Jesus to command him to come to Him on the water.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

When there is no storm in our lives, we will pray a normal prayer. But, when a storm comes into our lives, we will either pray a desperate prayer or a breakthrough prayer. If our eyes focus on the storm, we will be afraid and pray a desperate prayer. We will cry out to God for help. But, if our eyes focus on the Lord, we will be calm and pray a breakthrough prayer. We will speak boldly in the name of the Lord to overcome the storm. Desperate prayer will sound like a scared chicken when it sees a storm while breakthrough prayer will sound like a brave eagle when it sees a storm.

“The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

Many believers know how to pray a normal prayer. They also know how to cry out to God when they are in a desperate situation. However, not many believers know how to pray a breakthrough. So, how can we pray a breakthrough prayer? The first and foremost key to pray a breakthrough prayer is to have the peace of God in the heart. This peace of God is supernatural because it surpasses all understanding. When we have this peace, we will remain calm when a storm comes into our lives. We will be peaceful even though our minds think there is no reason to be peaceful.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

How can we have the peace of God in   our lives? We must set our minds on the Lord. Our minds are easily distracted with many things. So, we need to train them to be set on the Lord always until our hearts can easily trust in Him. The best time to do this is when there is no storm in our lives. If we wait until a storm comes, it will be too late. We will immediately feel afraid when the storm comes and it will be too difficult for us to set our minds on the Lord. Thus, we must learn to set our minds on the Lord before the storm comes so that we can have the peace of God when the storm comes.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)

After our hearts are guarded by the peace of God in the midst of the storm, the next thing we must do is  surrender to God. What does it mean we surrender to God? It means we do not force our will on God but give our will to Him. This is very important because we will never be able to do  breakthrough prayer if we still have our own will. Why must we give our own will to God? The purpose is not so that we become indifferent that we will just accept whatever happens to us, but it is so that God can make known His will to us. So, true surrender will replace our own will with the will of God. This will of God is the basis for us to make breakthrough prayer.

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

Like the breaking of the fountain of the great deep and the opening of the window of heaven that produce a mighty flow of river of water, the peace of God that we feel deeply in our hearts and the will of God that we know clearly in our minds produce a breakthrough prayer in our lives. We will pray boldly with a mountain moving faith. Our prayers will be like the river of water that breaks the banks, overflows the land, and overturns all that stands in its way. We will ask God to do the impossible in the same manner Simon Peter asked the Lord Jesus to command him to come to Him walking on the water.

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

THE SON OF GOD AND THE SON OF MAN

While living in this world, the Lord Jesus revealed Himself, either directly or indirectly, as the Son of God and as the Son of Man. When He was brought before the council of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes to their court, He called Himself the Son of Man and acknowledged that He was the Son of God  (Luke 22:69-70).

Why was the Lord Jesus both the Son of Man and the Son of God? He was the Son of Man because He was born into this world as a man and He also lived as a man like all other men (Phil 2:7). After His birth, He grew from a baby to a child and to an adult. He had parents as well as brothers and sisters. He also worked as a carpenter. He is the Son of God because before He became man, He was born of God and lived in equality with God (Hebrews 1:5; Philippians 2:6).

In His life as a man in this world, the Lord Jesus did not live it in equality with God, but He lived it in the likeness of man. He was not independent, omnipresent, omniscient or omnipotent like God. He was completely dependent on God. He was bound by space and time. Only in the matter regarding to His origin and identity, the Lord Jesus declared His equality with God, namely as the Son of God. He did not refuse when someone worshiped Him (Matthew 14:33; John 9:35-38). He once said that before Abraham was, He is (John 8:58). When He took His three disciples, Peter, John and James, to a high mountain, He was transfigured and revealed His glory to them, and a voice said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” (Matthew 17:1-2.5)

As the Son of God, the Lord Jesus could not be tempted and could not sin. However, as the Son of Man, He could be tempted and could fall into sin. When tempted by the devil in the wilderness, in the beginning the devil tried to make the Lord Jesus face him as the Son of God. Why? Because if the Lord Jesus faced the devil as the Son of God, He would be immune to temptation. Then, He was not the same as man. As the result, He could not be called the Son of Man and He would not be qualified to save men, because only man can die as a ransom for men. (Matthew 4:1-7)

The Lord Jesus is the Son of God who became the Son of Man, so that we, sons of men, may become sons of God. He became like us, that we might be like Him.

THE SERVANT OF GOD AND THE SERVANT OF MEN

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) Who is Christ Jesus? He is God who became man, humbled Himself and became a servant who ministered to people, then became an obedient servant to God His master by laying down His life on the cross.

In order to save man from sin and death, Christ Jesus had to empty himself, humble himself and lay down His life:

1. Emptying Himself.

The Apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word; The Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Before becoming a man, Christ Jesus was the Word who was one with God. When God spoke for the first time, the Word that was in Him became a person by Himself. The Word is equal to God because He is God. He has the same glory as God’s glory (John 17:5).

The Word then put off His glory as God. He did not consider His equality with God as something to hold on to. He emptied Himself of all the infinite attributes of God, such as omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, etc. He did all these so that He became equal with men.

2. Humbling Himself.

Christ Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) As a man, Christ Jesus did not take the form of a master, but He took the form of a servant. He said that He had no place to lay His head (Luke 9:58) He came into the world not to be served, but to serve people. He performed miracles to fulfill various needs of man, such as healing the sick, delivering the demon-possessed, serving His disciples, etc.

3. Laying down His life.

A true servant obeys his master absolutely. Besides humbling himself to serve people, as a true servant, Christ Jesus also obeyed God to die on the cross, even though He had to suffer pains, endure torments, humiliations and afflictions in the process (Isaiah 53:3). He died for the sake of God’s will to be a ransom for all.

Thus, Christ Jesus became a servant of God and a servant of men by emptying himself of all equalities with God, and humbled himself to serve men and obeyed God absolutely by laying down his life on the cross to be a ransom for the world, even though He had to endure sufferings.

THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN

Who is Christ Jesus? He is the Mediator, the One who mediates between God and man. A mediator is the person who bridges the gaps, connecting two parties and solving the problem between them.

The biggest problem that separates man from God is sin. Sinners cannot come to the righteous God directly. Likewise, the righteous God cannot come to sinners directly. There must be someone who mediates and reconciles God and man first. However, this mediator cannot be just anyone. The mediator must fully understand the two parties to be reconciled, namely man and God. The problem is no man understands God because all men have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Therefore, the mediator must come from God himself. But in order for him to truly understand man, he must become a man and experience life as a man. Only one person fulfills this requirement, namely Christ Jesus, because He is the Son of God (Hebrews 1:5) who was born as the Son of Man (Luke 1:31). He was God Himself who became a Man.

When Christ Jesus became a man, He revealed God to men (John 1:18). What does it mean? It means God could be experienced as a human being who could be heard, seen, looked upon and touched (1 John 1:1). He said, “Whatever He (the Father) does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19), “The word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” (John 14:24) and, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) In Christ Jesus’s body dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9).

Through Christ Jesus who lived as a Man on this earth, God could come and dwell in the midst of sinners. Nevertheless, could sinners come to God in heaven? No. they could not. The incarnation (God becoming man) could indeed bring God into the midst of sinners, but it could not bring sinners to God in heaven. What could open the way for sinners to come to God in heaven? Crucifixion.

On the cross, God made Christ Jesus who knew no sin to be sin, and died to bear the penalty of sin in place of sinners, so that sinners might be justified before God, and even become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5 :21). In other words, God through His Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus, reconciled sinners to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18).

After His resurrection, Christ Jesus was then taken up and entered into heaven to appear in the presence of God for men (Hebrews 9:24). He became the High Priest at the right hand of God, always living to make intercession for men (Hebrews 7:25). Because He had lived as Man and was in all points tempted as men are, He was also able to feel man’s weaknesses and became man’s Advocate before God (Hebrews  4:15; Romans 8:34). Therefore, as it is written in Scripture, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) and “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)

As God who became Man, Christ Jesus revealed God to men, so that men could experience God under any circumstance. As the Man who died on the cross for sinners, Christ Jesus reconciled men to God, so that men could boldly come to God and worthily experience Him.

Scriptures: Luke 8:11-15

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”

From the Lord Jesus’ explanation of the meaning of the parable of the sower who went out to sow seed, we can understand how the word of God grows within us. The growth of the word of God word within us is like the growth of a tree that starts with a seed which falls into the ground until it bears fruit. The growth of the word of God in us begins with hearing the word which then enters our heart until it produces words of power from our mouth. The Lord Jesus Himself said about the power of the words that we speak, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:23)

The seed that is sown will go into  the ground and then take roots inside in the ground. Likewise, the word of God that we hear enters our hearts and brings forth faith. The Apostle Paul wrote, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the words of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) In order for our faith to be strong so we do not believe only for a while, this word of God must take root in our hearts. How can we make the word of God take root in our hearts? By meditating on it day and night, as King David said. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)

How do we meditate on the word of God? Meditating on the word of God is muttering the word of God while pondering it. Since the purpose of this meditation is for the word of God to take root in our hearts, we must remove the “stones” from our hearts. These “stones” are the things in our hearts that are against the word of God. A stony heart will cause the word of God not to take root in it. Therefore, it is very important for us to humble ourselves when we meditate on God’s word, so that the “stones” are removed from our hearts. It is written, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts!” (Hebrews 4:7)

Once firmly rooted, the tree will then begin to grow upward. Its stem will come out of the surface of the ground. Likewise, once our hearts are established in the faith because of the word of God’ that has taken root in it, this word of God will come up from our hearts into our minds. To make sure this happens, we must constantly speak the word of God as our confession of faith. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14) Faith confession is the practice of speaking the word of God aloud.

Why should we be diligent to speak the word of God as the confession of our faith? In addition to having the word grow from our hearts to our minds, speaking the word of God aloud will help us focus our minds.  Our minds are easily distracted by many things. In order to keep our minds fixed on the word of God that has produced faith in our hearts, we need to make the confession of that faith. The Apostle Paul wrote, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13)

At a certain height, the branches of the tree will grow out of the trunk to its surrounding. This is a picture of the word of God that has come to our minds. When the word of God that comes out of our hearts have reached our minds, it will be revealed clearly. Our minds will be opened because they will be full of light and we will fully understand the word. We will understand the word from many different aspects. King David wrote, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130)

From the branches around the trunk of the tree will come out the fruits.  This is the final stage of the growth of a tree. Similarly, when our minds are opened because they are full of the understanding of the revealed word of God, that word is ready to bear fruit in our lives. When we open our mouths, what will come out is the word of faith and of understanding. We will have faith like God and we will speak like God, The words that we speak will be powerful. They will have power both to create and to give life to the dead. The Apostle Paul wrote, “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” (Romans 4:17)

God speaks to his people in many different ways. He speaks through the written Word of God. He can speak to you through a pastor, a teacher or another brother or sister in Christ. He can even use a donkey, as he did with Balaam. He also speaks directly to your spirit in still, small voice. In order to have a consistent walk of communion with God, you must obey whatever he speaks to you, regardless of the method of communication. If you want to hear the voice of God in the little details of daily life, you must learn to hear the voice that speaks to you within your spirit. His voice comes as a thought within your mind, but how do you know if the thought is from God? You may be hearing the Lord speak to you but wonder if it is really his voice.

It is important that you understand that you can hear three voices within your spirit. God can speak to you, your fleshly desires can speak to you and satan can also speak to you. These three “voices” manifest as thoughts within your mind. If you really want to walk with God and hear his voice, you must be able to distinguish between these three voices so that you can eliminate the voices of the flesh and satan and be confident that you are actually hearing the voice of God. In that way you can be confident that your obedience to his voice will develop consistent communion with him.

The Bible gives instructions on how to eliminate the voices of the flesh and the devil.

Colossians 3:5 (AMP) says,

“So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [ those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin ]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God).”

The King James Bible simply says to mortify your flesh. It’s not complicated! If you refuse to listen to the voice of your flesh and deny its desires, it will lose the power to control you. “The flesh” doesn’t just include obvious sins that everyone would identify as evil. It includes “all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin”. Your carnal man will always lead you into sin and disobedience to God. That is why you must deprive it of its power by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:16 (KJV) states it very simply.

” This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. “

Flesh that is denied (killed) cannot talk to you!

James 4:& (KJV) explains how you can eliminate the voice of the enemy within your thoughts.

” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ”

If you want satan to stop speaking thoughts to your mind, submit yourself to God! Resist the devil. God promises that he will flee.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) says,

” 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. “

Many Christians become confused because they have not eliminated the voices of the flesh and the enemy. They aren’t sure who is speaking to them. Because they are unsure of what to do, they often go back to their reasoning and understanding (which come from the flesh) and do the best they can. They hope they are hearing from God but usually they are following the dictates of their carnal man.

Other Christians believe they are hearing from God because they have memorized a lot of Scripture and try to apply it to any given situation. This can be very dangerous and actually cause you to miss God if you don’t submit the “interpretation” of the Scripture to God for his confirmation. Believers can be deceived into thinking they are so “good” and “mature” they don’t even need to check with God about what to do. I call this “spiritualized flesh”. It’s still flesh. It just looks spiritual.

Make no mistake! The job of being Lord has been filled by Jesus Christ and God will never give any of his children permission to run their lives from their own “spiritualized” lordship. This doctrine is being taught in some churches today and it is a deception from satan. It cannot be confirmed by the Word of God and it is a lie satan has used to lead many astray.

God will never authorize you to be the Lord of your life!

Scripture :  2 Chronicles 32:31

 However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

Temptation and Test

When we are tempted, we must not say that we are tempted by God because God does not tempt anyone (Jms 1:13). Temptation is evil in its nature, so it never comes from God. But, though God never tempts us, He does test us. We can read throughout the Bible that God continually test His people. So, is ‘temptation’, then, different from ‘test’? Yes, it is. Temptation is something that draws us to commit a certain sin, whereas test is something which happens to us that challenges us to do a certain deed of righteousness. The former comes from the devil (1 The 3:5) and is designed to pull us down and destroy us; the latter comes from God and is motivated by His desire to build us up and to bring us up to a higher level of glory. Entering temptation is something that we must avoid at all costs by not allowing our desires to be drawn away and enticed (Mat 6:13, 26:41; Jms 1:14), while being tested is something that we cannot avoid because it is prepared for us by God. Since it was designed to lift and build us up, we should count it all joy when we fall into various tests (Jms 1:2). A very good example of how to deal with temptation and test is given by Joseph. When he was in Egypt and became an overseer of Potiphar’s house and all that he had, he was seduced by his wife to lie with her. What did he do? He fled from her (Gen39:12). He did not allow himself to be drawn away by his own desire by lingering near her, but immediately ran away to avoid the temptation. This is what we must do with every temptation. We must avoid it at all costs. Though Joseph avoided the temptation, he could not avoid the tests which God had prepared for him. After he fled outside from Potiphar’s wife, he was falsely accused of forcing her to lie with him and was immediately put into the prison. In all these things, he did not resist, but submitted himself.

God and The Devil in Test and Temptation

Although ‘temptation’ and ‘test’ are different, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. A temptation from the devil can be used as a test by God and a test from God may include some temptations from the evil one. When the Lord Jesus was tempted by the devil himself in the wilderness, it was the Spirit of God who led Him there. So, His temptation by the devil is also a test from God (Mat 4:1). Job lost everything that he had because God allowed the devil to attack him. The devil was trying to make Job curse God by all the calamities he brought upon him. But, God used them to test his integrity and to bring him into a deeper knowledge of Him (Job 1:6-2:10; 42:5).    

The Purpose of God’s Test

God enjoys close and intimate relationship with His people. He wants us to live and walk in His presence. But, when He tests us, He will withdraw His presence. He will seem to leave us alone by ourselves. Now, He does this, as mentioned above, to build us up and lift us up to the higher level of glory.

There are three purposes in every test from God (Deut 8:2-3) :

1) knowing what is in our heart.

2) humbling us.

3) teaching us to live by His truth.

Take the children of Israel, for an example. God led them in the wilderness where there was no food. He allowed them to hunger. In that situation, God could know what was in their heart, whether they would complain or give thanks, whether they would continue to follow Him to the land of Canaan or would rather go back to Egypt. By allowing them to suffer hunger, He also humbled them. They realized that they could no longer support and provide for themselves. They became helpless. Then, God fed them with manna which they did not know nor did their fathers know, that He might make them know His truth that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Knowing The Test from God and How to Respond

How do we know that we are being tested by God? And, more important, how are we supposed to respond when we are being tested by Him?

1)  When we are faced with an impossible situation.

When we face a situation in our lives which are impossible to overcome humanly, we can be sure of that we are being tested by God. The Lord Jesus tested Philip to know how he would react when he and His other disciples were faced with an impossible situation of feeding the five thousand (John 6:5-6). The Lord tested him where they would buy bread that the multitude who followed Him may eat. Philip answered that two hundred denarii worth of bread was not sufficient for them, that every one of them my have a little. Probably, he looked at the money which they had and calculated that the bread which they could buy with that amount of money would not be enough for the people. Philip was overwhelmed by the greatness and the impossibility of the task and forgot that Jesus was greater than the task and that nothing was impossible to Him. When we are faced with an impossible situation, we must never forget that God is greater than the situation and that He already knows what to do. What we need to do is to present whatever we have, no matter how small or insufficient, to Him and trust Him that He will use that to overcome the situation for us.

2) When our prayers seem to receive no answer or even seem to be rejected.

When we have prayed for some time and do not receive the answer, most likely, it is because we are being tested by God. The woman of Canaan whose daughter was severely demon-possessed came to Jesus and begged Him to have mercy on her (Mat 15:22). At first, the Lord answered her not a word. Then, He answered and said that He was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But, as she kept on begging, He told her that it was not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs. It seemed that the Lord rejected her and would not grant her request. But, what actually happened was that the Lord was testing her. Would she give up and felt offended? No, she was persistent. She worshipped Him and said that even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table, showing her humility as well as her great faith. And, the Lord granted her request (Mat 15:28). This is exactly what we must do when our prayers seem to receive no answer though we have prayed for some time. We must not feel offended nor give up. Instead, we must humble ourselves even more in worship, but at the same time, be persistent and wise in our faith.

3) When what God is doing in our lives seems to contradict His promise.

We all have received promises from God about the great things He is going to do in our lives. But, many times, having received His promise, we find ourselves in situations which seem to contradict His promise. When these happen, we need to realize that we are being tested by God. Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his only begotten son, Isaac, in whom he was promised to have multitude of descendants (Gen 22:1-2). Abraham was tested by God. Though he was told to do something contradictory to the promise he had previously received from God, he did not waver nor resist. He obeyed and concluded that God was still able to keep His promise by raising his son up, even from the dead (Heb 11:19). We must follow the example of Abraham when we find ourselves in a similar situation. We must not doubt nor resist, but commit ourselves to God and trust Him that He is able to fulfill what He has promised no matter how impossible the situation is.