A Journey From The Beginning (Fear) To The End (Perfect Love)
First of Four Installments
Mitt Jeffords
South Carolina USA
First of Four Installments
April 2009
Preface
Proverbs 29:18 (AMP) “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish…”
I John 4:8 NKJ “He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.”
Many years ago I was praying one night, and while I was praying I said, “Father, I desire to be just like you.” And then the only time that Father has ever answered a prayer for me with audible voice, he spoke in the most gentle and fatherly loving voice saying, “Every father desires for is son to be just like him”. When I had prayed saying what I had said, I was really not expecting Father to say anything in return. I was really just wanting the Lord to know how much I wanted to be like him. Then when I heard the manner of his voice and desire and yearning in his words, I knew that Father had a greater desire and yearning for his sons to be like him than that which any of us may desire to be like him. It was with these words everything in my walk changed. With this one answer, all my religion seemed to dissolve, as the entire focus and direction of my walk. I had just heard with my own ears the yearning and the desire that Father has for me, as well as for each one of us. It is for this single purpose that God created man; to bring each one of us into Sonship so that he might make us to be like him. From this moment on, Sonship became my destiny, the one and only focus of my walk. The Lord told me that if I became a son, then the rest of my walk would take care of itself. We all know that this kind of transformation can only come through the power of his Spirit and by works of God’s hands; for there is nothing that any of us can do to change ourselves into the image of the son that Father finds well-pleasing. But in Jesus Christ, he has given to each one of us the spirit of the son that is well-pleasing to him; the spirit of adoption that grafts us into the family of God.
Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that we might be the firstborn of many brethren.”
John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name.”
When Father spoke this word to me, the first effect that it had on me was to carefully consider just what I really knew about God, that my knowledge of him was truth and right, or whether it was just based on that which my own opinions had identified and defined God to be. Was God like the image of love that had imagined love to be, or was the love of God far greater than anything that I could ever imagine? I did not want to change the true spiritual image of God into a false natural image that was according to my own opinions. After all, if you are going to be like Father, and father is love, then it would obviously be necessary to know the truth about his love. In just the words that Father had spoken to me, my heart was opened to hear the love in his voice that desired and yearned for me to be like him; and I realized that I did not yet have the love in me that desired and yearned to be like him. Opinions of God’s love are like idols that have no heart because they have no life that really loves. I have no desire to make myself to be an idol after my own opinions, but I now do have a desire to be a son who is just like his Father. My quest began that night, a quest to know the truth about my heavenly Father ….and little did I know then, that this is the only generation since the beginning that going to come into and experience the fullness of Father’s nature, his character, and his authority through the revelation of Jesus Christ in them. My quest and my destiny is to see that Father’s desire is fulfilled in me.
You cannot know who you are until you first know God. God is light, and if you do not know God, then you will not be able to discern the light from the darkness that appears as the light. Satan is always the imitator, that darkness that always seeks to appear as the light. He is the lies of reasonings and opinions that appear as truth. He is the iniquity of self-righteousness that seems like the righteousness of God. He is the evil that appears good. He is the hypocrisy that appears as holiness. We are living in the time of the end where Jesus warned us 3 times in Matthew 24 not to allow for ourselves to be deceived. It is in these time that the seduction of lies shall become stronger and greater; and they shall do so by appearing more like that which is right, and good, and true. Those who mock and make like of seeking to know the truth about God are already deceived of themselves; and as it is written concerning the last days, these deceivers shall grow worse and worse, with each one of them desiring for others to believe what they believe rather than to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
I recently met a man who had erred in his walk, and he had been laying up his treasures on earth rather than in heaven. He had not only increased greatly in these riches, but so also had all those who had entrusted their riches to him also increased. This man thought that the stewardship that God had called him to was to watch over and control his riches, and the riches of others. Now errors can be repented of, forgiven, and corrected, but if you loose your faith and belief, then you have lost everything; and it is that faith and belief that Satan desires to sift; which is to separate us from. For as it is written in I Timothy 4:1, that in the last days, many shall depart from the faith. So when the economy began to fail, so also did the riches of this man, and those who had surrendered their riches to him, also begin to fail. Then the death of depression, and fear, and failure began to overwhelm him. As horrendous as this was, it was nothing to be compared to what happened next. He said that angel of God appeared standing right before him. He then observed as this angel then stretched forth his arm into his own body. Then this angel seemed to pull the Spirit of the Lord right out of his chest. From that moment until now, this man has been like the walking “death”; just like a zombie from out of some horror movie.
To say the least, I was amazed and stunned at what this man was telling me. Then, as he finished telling me his story, the Spirit of the Lord quickened to me that this was Satan appearing as an angel of light to destroy and steal this man’s life away from him. When Satan saw that this man was already weak in his faith through the fears and depression that had come upon him, then just like the lion that seeks our and stalks the weak of the herd, so also did Satan see his opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to this man. But then the Lord said to me, “Who do you think that Satan will transform himself into an angel of light before, those who are already of the darkness, or those who are of the light that he desires to kill, to steal, and destroy their lives through his illusions?” The Lord now has me battling for this man’s soul, and this incident has redefined the ministry that I had known. It is quite the battle because this man completely believes that God has taken his spirit from him; and that which has power over a man is that which he believes. This is the kind of deceit that Satan is going to be bringing against the church. It is written in II Thessalonians 2 that the coming of Satan is before the coming of the Lord. Remember that which Jesus also warned all of us when he spoke of these times, “If it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived.”
After what I witnessed Satan do with this man, I am sure that we would all do well to make sure that our faith is the faith that stands in the power of God, and not be deceived by that faith that comes from man’s wisdom; the faith that is defined and formed to please self and other men, rather than to please God. It is written in I Peter 1 that we are kept in the power of God by faith, and surely this is the hour that we desperately need to have the faith that is “of” Jesus Christ; the faith that the disciples called out for and asked for the Lord to increase in them. It is this precious faith that is tried and purified of all unbelief, fears, doubts, and reasonings that oppose God. Not only does this faith keep us in the power of God, but it is also the same faith that Jesus said that he is going to be looking for when he appears. How many know that it is not us that is to be found unto glory, and honor, and praise at his appearing, but it is the faith that it is in us? If this faith is not already of great value, then let it be known that it is only this faith that allows a man to resist Satan, even if may appear as an angel of light. It is written in II Corinthians 13:5 that each one of us to examine his own faith, to make sure that is that faith that is well-pleasing in the sight of God. What are you asking God and what is God doing for you?
Luke 18:8 “Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on earth.”
I Peter 1:5-8 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
I would love for the Lord to give me a word that could be made clear in just a couple of pages, but that is not how the Lord has led me to write his words, or testify of those things which he has done for me. It is written that the Lord will do nothing until he first reveals his secrets to his prophets first; and here is the reason why. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is also written in Matthew 9:29 that Jesus said, “As your faith is, so let it be done unto you”. If a man does not first hear of that which the Lord desires to perform for him, then it is not possible for him to have the faith that will allow the Lord to perform it. True faith is that which makes the works of God, the blessings of God, the promises of God, as well as all the prophesies of God to become reality. The faith that is authored by the religion of men is only an illusion that is never accompanied with the powerful works of God.
If this word was a book in print, then there would probably be close to 14 chapters. The first 6 chapters deal with how the Lord desires to prepare how hearts with faith for the coming of Satan and for the coming of the Lord. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and by faith we are able to resist all of the lies of Satan. Fear is now here, but it has only just begun. Perfect love is also coming, and when perfect love comes it is going to cast out all fear. God has predestined from the beginning that we should all come to know him through his son Jesus Christ. God is perfect love, and perfect love is only that which is able to fulfill our destiny and finish the perfect work of God. Now that God is revealing the secrets of his love through his prophets, there is now nothing left to restrain him from fulfilling that which he has been so yearning to do: to manifest his sons.
Some of you may have read some of these testimonies before in other words that the Lord has had me post, but the Lord impressed on me to set these words “in order”, including some of the old as well as the new, as his Spirit has led me to do. The first part of this word concerns the preparation, and the second part concerns the coming of Satan in the fear that will cause many to fall away, and then the coming of the “perfect love” of God. I pray that the Lord will bless you with seeing eyes and hearing ears as you read these words; eyes and ears that will direct your heart to keep your focus only on the Lord in this hour, and not at looking on the things that are coming on the earth.
Chapter 1
We are the children of God by faith; but whose faith makes us to his children?
In 1976, I had invited a man, who I had recently met, over to my house to eat dinner with my wife and I. Though I had only known this man for a short period of time, he and I had almost instantly become best friends. I was really looking forward to that evening of fellowship. When we had finished eating dinner, we all moved into the den for conversation. We had no sooner sat down when both my friend and his wife began to witness to my wife and I about Jesus Christ. Immediately my heart sank with utter disappointment when I heard their words. I even felt betrayed that this man would actually come into my house and begin to speak about Jesus to me. The reason was because I was an atheist. I had absolutely no belief that God existed, nor did I have any belief that there was any kind of after life for anyone. I absolutely detested any conversation that contained anything about God or that had any kind of spiritual context, from Christianity to witchcraft. But because this man had become one of best friends, I just sat there, biting my lip and cursing him under my breath while they testified before us for about 30 minutes. Suddenly he said something that I had never heard before; and that was if any man would believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, then God would give to that man the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was the power of God to change a man’s life. I was around 27 years old at that time, I had never once heard of this Holy Spirit, and it also aroused my curiosity to know why would he want to change a man’s life? I even had the thought that if there was a God, then I was good guy, so why change me? My curiosity about these things only lasted for a very short time, then after only a couple of days, I forget what he had told me.
Then three years later, in 1980, all of the circumstances in my life began to take on drastic changes. My father died, my marriage was very strained, and I had no clue as to what I was going to do with my life. My first full time job was with South Carolina National Bank, and in my first year end review, they told me that I had done the best job that anyone else had ever done in the first year that was in my position. I went home that night thinking about what they had said, and the next day I went in and quit. I had never had the thought about quitting until they told me that I had done so well. I thought that if I had performed the best job that anyone had previously done, and I found no contentment or satisfaction in that job, then why stay? I then took a position as a salesman for Colgate-Palmolive, and quit after a year. Then I worked as a clerk on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and quit after a month. Then I became Real Estate salesman, and a broker, and quit a couple years. Then I got my contractors license, designed and built houses, and quit after another couple of years. Then I was one of the first developers of waterslides when they first became popular, even having a 5 page pictorial display in Life magazine of one that I developed in Florida, and then I quit. I had no clue that my atheistic beliefs were destroying my life because I could not find any satisfaction, contentment, or peace in anything that I did.
As an atheist, I was trying to live all of eternity during this lifetime. The fear of death haunted me daily. I was lost, and I had no clue as to who I was or where I was going. Then came this Saturday morning when my wife had taken our children to the grocery store, and I was left there standing in my den, all confused and full of despair. Suddenly, without me taking any thought to do so, my knees just buckled, and I was headed to the floor. While I was falling, I remembered what my friend had told me about Jesus. I had no sooner hit the floor when I said, “Lord, if this is what this world is all about, then I do not want any part of it. I will do whatever you want me to do.” I had no sooner finished speaking these two sentences when the Holy Spirit fell all over me and in me. When the fear of having this tremendous power of God come in me finally subsided, all my despair and confusion were gone. All of the despair, the dissatisfaction, the frustration, the depression, the discontentment, and the confusion that had been my reality for several months was completely gone; and so also was fear of death that had visited my thoughts on a daily basis. The peace of God like nothing that I had ever experienced, had just become my new reality.
I had just got my first taste of the Lord, and he was good; so good that I started diligently seeking for him everyday. The first year I was with the Lord was like I was in heaven everyday, for his presence was with me daily. In that year the Lord completely delivered me from a 18 year, 2 ½ packs a day smoking habit; he delivered from cursing, which as an atheist I knew how do well; he delivered from that fear of death; and he began to deliver from the thing that I hated most, my disgusting temper. I was experiencing exactly that which my friend had testified that I would, the power of the Holy Spirit changing my life. I had many different testimonies of one wonderful work after another that the Lord had done for me.
Then one morning I woke up, and the presence of the Lord had completely departed from me, and I almost felt as bad as I did when I was an atheist. I thought that I must have committed some dreadful sin for him to do this to me. But I prayed and asked the Lord to show me what I had done so that I could repent and so that his presence might return to me. Then the Lord answered me and said that it was time for him to start working in my faith and my belief, and that he could not do these things as long as I was in his presence. He told me that faith and belief were those two treasured gifts that would keep me when I was not in his presence. I was so disappointed at what he had said to me, but I said, “Whatever it takes you to do Lord that will allow for me to return into your presence.“ It then took me a while before I came to realize that all that I had received on that first day was just that, only a taste of the Lord. That taste only consisted, as the scriptures reveal, to only be the “earnest (deposit)” of his Spirit; and this earnest of the Spirit consisted of the joy and the peace that is accompanied with the belief that God is real, that Jesus is truly his Son; that Jesus was crucified and then raised from the dead; and the belief that our sins are covered by his blood. I was not ready to call this taste to be the entire feast, and with hope, I sought to know if it was possible to come into that place where I could dwell in his presence at all times. This was my hope; and even though hope is not that which you can see with your eyes, I believed it to be real and true.
II Corinthians 1:21,22 (ASV) “Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Earnest: deposit; pledge
Psalm 34:8 (NIV) “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
Psalm 27:13 NIV I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
When I came to see that I had only experienced a taste of that which is real and true, as well as that which is living and good, I obviously wanted much more because it was far better than anything that I have ever experienced in my life without him. I then came to realize that my first tastes, or that first belief that God and Jesus were real and true, only worked to satisfy my desire for a short period. I also realized that this first belief really does not identify the real and true nature of God and Jesus, and that is what I wanted to know. I wanted his joy and his peace to continue to abide in me, and it was at this time that I decided that this is what I was going to make my quest to be, even if it took me a lifetime to find it; and that was/is to come to know all that I could about this wonderful God who had touched me with his love and turned my life so wonderfully upside down. I immediately gave myself to daily seeking to know the Lord through prayer and reading the scriptures. I would not pass up any opportunity to listen to any testimonies as long as it spoke about what the Lord was doing or saying because I wanted to learn all that I could about what God was doing in others so that I might also receive it for myself. I wanted much more than the earnest of his Spirit. I wanted all then, and I want all now. Little did I know then that in the 6000 + or - years since Adam, this is the generation that is actually going to see and receive it all.
Romans 15:13 (ASV) “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I Thessalonians 2:13 NIV “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”
I do not know how it happened, even with the great desire within me to know that which was real and true, but it did. Somewhere in the first few years of my walk, I went from hearing the testimonies told by others of wonderful works that the Lord was doing in their lives to where I just seem to be in those places were was only hearing testimonies from men about the wonderful works they were doing for the Lord. I did not even realize this for quite some time; and the more that I listened to these testimonies, I felt like I should be doing the same. When I started doing these same works, I then felt like it was my duty to testify of what I was doing, and I encourage others to do things I was doing. I had gotten to a place in my walk where I had become self-righteous, only doing those things that seemed right in my own eyes. I was not even aware of this because these works surely seemed right in my own eyes, especially seeing that the scriptures also seem to confirm that these were things that I should be doing. I fed the poor, I had a prison ministry, I visited those who were sick, and so forth, and so on; and just like Jesus instructed us, I did not tell anyone of these works that I was doing. In doing these good works, I really felt like I was doing those things that were pleasing in the sight of God, and that this would then lead me to grow closer to God.
After a time, a problem arouse that greatly troubled me. My problem was that the more I did these righteous works, the emptier I began to feel, and the more I felt like I was getting farther and farther from the presence of the Lord. I felt more like I was headed into some kind of desolate and dry wilderness where there was no life, rather than into the life that one experiences in the presence of God. Now I know that when you walk by faith that many times you do not feel the presence of God, and that was okay because I knew that true faith was not a feeling. But I also knew that the Lord delighted for us to continually come into his presence, and years had rolled by without me experiencing his presence one time. I was feeling like I was on the outside looking to get back in, but could not find out how. I felt like my entire relationship with the Lord had become very strained. My heart was still filled with a zeal for God, and I was doing more "righteous" works than ever before, but the more I did them, the more I felt like I was missing something; something really big, like joy, and peace, and contentment, and love.
Hebrews 11:6 ASV And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
I seemed to be fine as long as I was around other brethren that were also testifying about the works they were doing for the Lord, but when I was alone is when I felt empty, and lost, and completely out of fellowship with the Lord. Joy and peace had really become more like distant memories and words from some alien language that I had forgotten. The thought even came into my mind that I should at least try to pretend like I had joy and peace, but it did not take long before this thought became completely disgusting for me to even think about. I thirsted greatly for that which was/is real and true. Then these lying and pretentious thoughts became to me like the man who is in the middle of the desert who has run out of water. He sees some mirage that appears like that which will be able to quench his thirst, but when he gets there he finds that he was only deceived by the illusions that appear real and true. So also did I see the thoughts of pretending to have joy, and peace, and love, that they were only the lies of hypocrisy (play-acting) that could never able to quench my thirst for the real and true life. I was in a place that felt so empty and void of life that I knew that if something did not happen soon, then it was going to be very difficult for me to walk in the faith that I had much longer. I knew something was wrong with my walk, but what? How can a man understand what is error is if all that which he is doing he believes to be right and true? It was then that I felt the Spirit quickening to me to pray that which is written in Psalm 67:1 “God be merciful to me, and bless me; and cause your face to shine upon me so that your way may be made known to me”. So I did.
Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy…”
Then, for the next several weeks, every time I read the scriptures, it seemed as though the Holy Spirit would always lead me to James 2:19,20 NKJ “You believe that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe…and tremble! But do you want to know, 0 foolish man, that faith without works is dead”. Foolish man? Was the Lord trying to tell me that I was a fool? Maybe he was trying to tell me that my faith was dead. I then wondered if there any works that the Lord requires of us that I was not doing. The Lord had quickened this verse to me, but instead of it leading me out of my wilderness, it seemed to only bring more frustration and confusion on me. I did not feel as though this word did anything to encourage me or to refresh me. I then starting getting angry with the Lord because I was blind to see what he was trying to show to me. Whatever these works were that were to accompany my faith, I came to believe that I must not be doing them. I then became offended at the Lord because I felt like I was doing more works than any 5 other Christians that I knew. After a few days I calmed down, and I began to examine my faith like asking myself, “Is my faith really established on hearing the word of God?” Even with this self-examination, I still could not see any error in my faith, or in the woks that I was doing. Finally I came to the conclusion that I must not be seeing or understanding James 2:20 in the manner that the Lord was desiring for me to see and understand.
Job 33:14 “For God speaks once, yea twice, yet man perceives it not.”
I had become so desolate of life by this time, that I was really quite willing to hear the truth about what the Lord had to say, as long as it would fill my emptiness and quench my thirst for his presence. It seemed like the Lord was using a tactic similar to a tactic that my dad used when fixed dinner for us. Though he was an excellent cook, he would still make us wait until it got late before he would serve us, making sure that we would always be really hungry when we ate. He said that the longer he made us wait, the better the food would taste. Now here I was in an identical situation, only spiritual; for I was all hungry and thirsty for the life that comes when the Lord is present, the life that only the Lord is able to prepare and serve. It was uncanny; for at next three weeks, every time I read the scriptures, even if I started reading somewhere like Exodus, somehow, without me even being conscious as to how, I would always end back up at James 2:19,20. This just agitated and frustrated me the more, even feeling as though the Lord was somehow bringing me back to this scripture to make me miserable. I even got to a point that all that I hear in my thoughts was, “Faith without works is dead...Faith without works is dead...Faith without works is dead”.
Psalm 104:27 ASV “These all wait for thee that you mayest give them their food in due season.”
I was at my wits end when one morning, at a point where I felt like I was about to explode from my frustration and confusion. I am so thankful that the Lord allowed for me to pray in this time when I did not feel like praying at all. I prayed saying, “Lord, I have done all of the works that I know how to do; the works that I feel should be accompanying my faith, and I still feel desolate of life. And besides this Lord, I now realize that I am not a smart man, for I cannot even discern between the works of the law, which puts a man under the curse, from the works which should accompany my faith. Lord, how will I know the difference between these two works if you do not show me?” No answer. Nothing. Nada. Silence. My frustration continued. I then prayed, "Lord, if you are willing, would you show me why you keep leading me to this same passage of scripture in James over and over? For I perceive that there is something in this passage of scripture that you want me to see, but I am totally blind to see it; otherwise, why would you not keep leading me back to this same passage? It was just as Jesus said, "The light was shinning in the darkness, but the darkness could not comprehend it"; and my understanding was the darkness.
Ephesians 1:18 ASV “Having the eyes of your understanding enlightened….”
Later that same day, without realizing just how broken and contrite my heart had become, I went to pray again, and before I even had a chance to say a word the Lord spoke to me and said, “If I am not working in your heart, then your faith is dead“. My first response to this word was, “Did I just really hear what I thought I heard the Lord say?” During the previous weeks, I must have entertained at least a thousand different imaginations that all tried to correctly interpret for me what works should accompany my faith, and not one of these thoughts ever suggested that it was the works that the Lord that should. This new revelation of understanding of James 2:20 was so powerful to me that it completely stopped me cold in my tracks. I then found myself actually struggling to believe what I had just heard because it was so contrary to everything that I had ever understood or believed about this verse. The more I mediated on what had just been spoken to me, the more astounded and amazed I became at what I had just heard. Wow! This changes everything.
That wow stayed with me for about one minute before a flood of anxiety and fear swept over me. For I then realized that if this was truly the Lord speaking, then all the works that I had been doing of myself were as they say, as dust in the wind, nothing. This was actually my first revelation that was in real and true in the spiritual does not at all agree with that which is real and true in the natural. Could this be? I then became very fearful as I realized how great of an error that I had made for trusting in my own understanding for the interpretation of James 2:20. My natural understanding of this verse had me focused only on my own works while the Spirit was opening my eyes to see that my focus should be on the works of the Lord. I then suddenly felt like I was stripped naked of all the works that I had been trusting in to be righteous and pleasing before the Lord. Even though I had this feeling of nakedness, I also noticed that within me this wonderful feeling of freedom from the burden that my own understanding of James 2:20 had put on myself, trying to please God with my own works. In one word from the Lord, all of works and efforts that I had done for years seem to as though they had been that mirage. I became very fearful because I saw how I had been so confident and so positive that understanding of the scriptures was that which was right, and true, and real. There is nothing that can shake you any harder than when you find out that the things that you have believed and trusted in to be real and true only turned out to be well-crafted illusions of vanity. I then felt so ashamed before the Lord because I knew that his word says that none of us should lean to our own understanding of his words, and yet that is exactly what I had done.
Isaiah 57:12 “I will declare thy righteousness; and thy works; for they shall not profit you.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Hebrews 4:9-11 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
It was in that moment that my heart was shaken, that the darkness saw it’s opportunity to come and compass me with fear, to torment me with thoughts of reasonings and doubt. But the Lord, even without me calling out to him, having this attack on me, and he spoke to me in the most loving and compassionate voice saying, “Mitt, do not be afraid of that what your ears have just heard, but remember this one thing, I am really good at raising the dead.” For a brief moment I did not understand what or why the Lord even speak such a word to me, but then suddenly I remembered that he had been repeatedly trying to tell me that, “Faith without works is dead”. My fears were attacking me to tempt me not to believe the understanding that the Lord had given to me, to keep in bondage to my own works, but the Lord had other ideas for me. Just like before, when he spoke this word to me, then comfort and peace swept over me like a flood, and in an instant, many anxieties, and fears, and shame were all swept away by his word. Then a peace and a calm that I had not experienced for such a long time returned to me. In a moment the Lord had brought me out of that desolate, dry, and dead wasteland to sit once again by the river of Life, and the presence of the Lord returned to me. Thanks be to Abba.
Proverbs 16:25 ASV There is a way which seemeth right unto men; But the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Even though my fears and anxieties were gone, I still felt so stupid for not being able to discern what the Lord had so persistently been trying to show me. I then saw the truth in that which is written in Job 33:14, “God speaks once, yea twice, (and in my case, at least 20 times), but man does not perceive”. This understanding was all so new to me that the only thing that I knew to do was to pray and ask the Lord to confirm for me that I was truly understanding the truth of that which he had just spoken to me. I asked, “Lord, seeing how contrary my understanding of this word was as compared to that which you spoke to me, would you confirm this word for me so that I might believe it without any doubts? Would you prove to me that this is really you? Would you prove to me that it is your works that are to accompany my faith?”
Luke 24:45 NIV “Then he (Jesus) opened their minds so that they could understand the scriptures.”
Romans 4:3-6 NKJ What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Then the Lord said to me and said, “In the books of the gospels, of whose works do they testify of? Was it not I that healed the sick? Was it not I that forgave sins? Was it not I that gave sight to the blind? Was it not I that raised the dead? Was it not I that cast out demons? Was it not also written of me that I opened the ears of my disciples so that they could understand the truth of the scriptures?” My heart was immediately was filled with joy and excitement that the Lord had just confirmed his word for me, that it was truly his works and not mine. I then answered, “Yes, Lord, you did perform all of these works!” Then the Lord asked me, “After I performed all the works that were asked of me, what would I then say to those who had been blessed by them?” I then considered this for only a moment before it suddenly came to me, and I answered saying, “Lord, I see, for after you performed anyone of these works, you would always say to them either, “Your faith has saved you”; or, “Your faith has made you whole”; or “Your faith has healed you”. Now I see Lord. Now I believe that this is right and truth, that if my faith is not accompanied by your works, then my faith is dead. Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer; thank you so much for making your words plain and clear for me to understand.
Psalm 57:2 “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.”
The Lord also asked me if at any time did any come before him to testify of their own works instead of hoping to see the mighty works of God. For the first time in my walk, my eyes were opened to clearly see that there is truly two different kinds of faith; the first that stands in the works that men do to prove their faith, which comes from man’s wisdom and understanding of the scriptures, or the faith that stands in the power of God, which is taught by the wisdom and understanding that comes from above. The first faith, it is seen and demonstrates itself in the works that men do through their own power, their own zeal, their own understanding, and by their own determination. The fruit of this faith is iniquity and self-righteousness, the works that seem real and true in the sight of natural man. How else could the Lord demonstrate his power than in the works that he performs? I did not take me long before I realized how much better this faith was that the faith that only focused on what I had to do for myself; for he who walks in this faith walks alone because he does not see any need from God to perform his own works. I really liked the faith where the Lord, he who is God, does all of the works for me, because it meant that I would no longer feel alone, but that I could enjoy his presence when performed these works for me. I found myself totally revived, and excited, and refreshed with this restored belief in the Lord, like I had just reconnected with him who delights in doing the things that are impossible for us to do of ourselves. As I said before, “This understanding of faith changes (shakes) everything.”
I Corinthians 2:4,5 NIV “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.”
I then realized why I had been feeling so empty and dead in my walk, and it was because I had not been including him who is real and true in anything that I had been doing. I was thinking that I had to do everything, not at all allowing for the Lord to do anything. I then remembered all of the wonderful works that the Lord had done for me in the beginning, and how full my walk was with life because I had been asking the Lord to do things for me. It was then that I realized that I had actually gone astray from the path of life when I started believing that my faith should be proved by the works that I did, rather than the works that the Lord does. What greater evidence could a man have that he was walking in the strait and narrow path with God than to have God himself do the works that the Lord has required of us? One of the first fruits that I saw as result of this change in understanding was that I used to be afraid of reading the scriptures because I was always fearful that I might read of something that the Lord might require of me that I could not possibly do for myself. Now all that I had need of was he the faith to ask the Lord to do these things for me.
As peaceful as I was, fear then came upon me when I suddenly realized that I really did not know what the works of the Lord were that should accompany my faith. Even though the Lord had said to be, “Do not be afraid”, I saw that I was afraid. But the Lord, knowing the trouble in my heart, again comforted me when he led me to read that which is written concerning the apostles, when they all, including Jesus, got caught in that storm that was so bad that their boat got swamped out with water. Each one of these apostles was afraid, thinking that he was surely going to die soon. But when they woke Jesus up, he said to them in Mark 4:40 “Why are you so fearful? Why is it that you have "no" faith?" Wow, I thought. Here were these chosen apostles, those who had heard all of the sermons that Jesus had preached, as well as having witnessed just about every miracle that Jesus had performed; and still, just like me, they had no faith. I then felt comforted knowing that I was spiritually in the same boat as they were in. I then perceived that if “no faith” was not going to stop Jesus from working for them, then surely it was not going to stop Jesus from working for me either. But if I had no faith, then how was I going to get any of this new faith that stands in the power of God?
I was thinking about my “no faith” when the Spirit of the Lord reminded me of the only thing that the disciples ever asked Jesus to add to them, “Lord, increase our faith”. Wow, Lord, even our faith is in your hand. It was then that I began to perceive what John the Baptist meant when he said, “I must decrease so that he might increase”. How could I increase in the faith that stands in the power of God unless I first be willing to decrease in the faith that stands in the power of my own strength, my own zeal, my own confidence, and my own abilities. Like I said, “This changes everything”. I suppose that I am not unlike most other men in that I liked the idea of the “increasing”, but it is idea of the “decreasing” that I was fearful of. I was to later learn that it was not I that like the idea of my decreasing, but it was the spirit of fear that did not like that idea because it was from all my fears that this decrease would come. Then I thought about what all I was going to receive in exchange for what my decease, and became a no brainer. “I must decrease to the sins of doubt and unbelief before I could increase in the faith and belief that allows Father to work in me.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Then the Lord said, “I must first work in your belief in my words and your faith that I will perform my words for you”, says the Lord. “You must first believe that my words are true and that I desire to perform all things for you. I must increase your faith so that you may know and believe that I am well able to perform the impossible for you. I must work in your belief unto you believe that I love you, and that my love will never fail you. Let me increase your faith so that you may know that I am willing and able to perform all my promises for you. You must also trust me to wait for the time that I have appointed to perform all things for you. Remember Abraham, for he was strong in faith because he believed that I would perform the promise that I had given to him. Do not forget my words.” I then remembered what the Lord had spoken to me when he said, “Do not be afraid, for I am good at raising the dead”. I then thought, “Wow, if God could bring forth life out of Sarah’s dead womb when the natural circumstances dictated that it was not possible, then how much more will the Lord bring forth that which is living out of me when I believe?” I then said, “Lord, even though my faith has been dead, would you raise me up to be strong in faith and perfect in belief.” Then the Lord said, “As long as you are looking for me to perform the promises of my words in you, then your faith will not be dead, but very much alive. For I am faithful and true to all of my words, and to all those who believe them”, says the Lord. “Open the door to your heart, and ask me to work in you, and I will prepare your heart to receive the kingdom of God”. I then said within my heart, "If that is all that it takes is the believing and the asking, then truly this yoke that Jesus spoke of, it is truly light and easy. But what would happen if we do not ask? I do not want to know that answer.
Romans 4:19-21 NAS “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”
Can you see faith? Can you touch belief? Can you hear trust? I do not care what a man believes, or that which he has faith and trust in, you still cannot see belief, or faith, or trust, even with 20/20 vision. When I walked in the faith that dictated to me that I had to do all of the works, I walked alone. I chose the good deeds and righteous works that I wanted to do, I chose how I wanted to do them, I chose when I wanted to do them, and I chose where I wanted to do them. Again, without me even seeing it, I had become lord and god over my own Christianity because it seemed like the right and true thing for me to do. When I started walking in the faith that stands in the power of God, this all changed too because the only way that I could walk in this path was to allow for the Lord to be my God. It was not up to me to decide what works the Lord needs to do, nor was it up to me to tell him how, or when, or where they needed to be done. when and where they should be done, for these things were in the hand of God. Not long after I started walking in this faith, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Mitt, I am not going to make you great and mighty in my sight, but I am going to become great and mighty in your eyes.” These were absolutely the most wonderful words that I could have heard the Lord say because I knew that the only way that the Lord could become great and mighty in my sight was for him to do great and mighty things for me. I did not know what these things were at the time, but I knew that the Lord was getting ready to start answering my prayers in ways that would be, as it is written, exceedingly abundantly above what I am to ask or to even think within my own imaginations. Now that is what I call letting God out of the box.
II Corinthians 5:7 ASV “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Not long afterwards, I was reading one morning in Matthew 9:20-22 about the woman that had that menstrous condition for 12 years. Even though Jesus was completely surrounded by a large crowd, she pressed her way through them all until she got close enough to reach out with her hand and touch the hem of his garment. Immediately she was healed. Suddenly the Lord spoke to me and asked, “Mitt, how many people there knew what had happened to this woman?” Well my first thought was that this woman had some kind of menstrous condition which was something that I felt like she would have advertised to the world. So I answered, “Lord, even though it seemed like you had one of the largest crowds that were ever around you, I do not think that any of them knew that this woman had been healed. And Lord, from that which is written, I do not even believe that you knew that she got healed because it says that you just felt power go out of you.” Then the Lord spoke to me and said, “So also are the great and mighty works that I desire to do for you. They are works in the places of your heart and in your mind that no one can see. If you will give yourself to me, then I will make these places to be beautiful in my sight; and when they become beautiful in my sight, they shall surely be beautiful in your eyes also. Are you willing to surrender your heart and your mind into my hands?” Yes Lord, I am willing. Make all of me beautiful in your sight!” At that moment my heart seemed so full of life and purpose again, even though I did not know exactly what these works were that the Lord desired to perform in me. My heart had greatly increase in hope, joy, faith, and the peace of God. I felt like I had truly been resurrected from the dead. I was alive again.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Job 33:27-30 He looketh upon men, and if any say, “I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not”; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, to bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.”
Isaiah 57:12 “I will declare your righteousness and your works, for they will not profit you.”
When I was an atheist, I experienced brief moments of happiness when everything went my way, but the stars in that life rarely lined up, even for a brief moment. From the time that I was a very young child, I had experienced any of the peace or joy that I have experienced since the Lord came into my life. I am so thankful that these precious that the Lord has allowed for me to taste of the goodness of his life, because it was that taste that turned me back to him when I had lost my focus and started walking in my own ways; the ways that seem right that only bring the death of lifeless thoughts. These thoughts were so miserable that it led me back to the Lord, asking for him to return me to the right path, the path that leads to life. One of the wonderful things that I have learned about Abba, Father is how much he greatly delights in forgiving us and blessing us, especially in the times that our fears would have us to believe that the opposite is real and true.
Romans 5:1 NKJ “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
So many seek for a life filled with peace and joy through wealth, or through their own works and efforts, or through their own will, but in the end, hopelessness and emptiness seem to be all that they end up with. I am so thankful that the Lord has opened the eyes of my heart to see that the invaluable gifts of peace and joy come through believing on the Lord; believing that what is word is able to do, he is well able to perform. The joy and the peace that I had experienced when the Lord first called me, fled from me in a flash the moment pride deceived me into trying to this walk this without Abba, Father. Death and desolation soon followed. But when I turned back to him, death and desolation fled away, and peace, and joy, and faith, and praise quickly returned to me. And to think that all that I did was to humble myself, turn to him, and ask for his guidance and help; and then boom, life returned. How can we have any peace or joy unless we really believe and have faith that Abba, Father, the Lord God almighty, is completely in control over all the circumstance and situations that arise in our life. It we do not believe, then fear will be surely accompany us and be our reality as we face the uncertain circumstances and situations that daily come.
Romans 15:13 ASV “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Colossians 3:15 NIV Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Chapter 2 “The Mystery of Father’s Will”
Lord, we surrender our hearts unto you. Delight yourself in the works of your own hands; for your works are real, and true, and eternal. All things are possible with you, Abba, Father.
Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard with our ears, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and which our hands have handled, of the Word of Life (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show to you that eternal life which is with the Father, and was manifested to us). That which we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and his son Jesus Christ.”
I was praying one morning when the Spirit brought back into my remembrance that which I had been taught concerning the word “covenant”, that it basically meant a mutual agreement between two or more parties with all having specified obligations to perform. But as I thought more on this, an alarm went off in my heart to question this definition because it seem to be tempting me that my obligation was for me to perform the same works that the Lord had just corrected me of. So I asked the Lord what my obligations were as specified in the New Covenant; and he immediately answered me and said, “Believe! If you ask me to do the works, believing what you ask, then I will do all of the works for you. Only believe!”. Then the Spirit of the Lord began to quicken such like verses as these to me:
I Peter 5:7 NKJ “Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you.”
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJ “Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know.’”
Proverbs 16:3 NKJ “Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.”
Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
I Thessalonians 4:9 ASV “But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
Proverbs 20:12 NASB “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made both of them.”
Deuteronomy 30:6 NKJ “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
When the Spirit had ceased quickening these verses to me, my eyes were then opened to see that the one thing that they all in common was that they described the works that God himself, and only he, is able to do in us. I had read all of these verses before, but my eyes had never once been opened to see that these were the verses that describe the works that God desires for our faith to be accompanied with. Then the Lord said to me, “Your belief is measured by that which you ask for me to do for you. If you ask nothing of me, then expect me do nothing. If you ask little of me, then look only for me to do little. If you ask much of me, then look for me to do much for you. It is as it is written, that he who sows little reaps little, and he who sows much also reaps much. If you believe little, then I will do little, but if you believe and ask much of me, then I will do much for you.” I then began to write each one of these verses down on a note pad, and put that pad in my prayer closet; and every time that I went to pray, I would pull that pad out and ask the Lord to perform his words for me.
Galatians 6:8 NASB “For the one who sows to his own flesh (who makes he scriptures the works of his own hands) will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit (allows for the Lord to do the works) will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
The more I considered what the Lord had taught me, I just became astounded at how easy and simple this walk really was. But I was also aware that the only reason that it was easy was because the Lord had opened my eyes to clearly see and understand the meaning of just one verse, James 2:20; and it changed the entire direction and focus of my walk with the Lord. So now here I was, a list in my hand of verses that detailed what works the Lord desired for me to pray and ask for him to do for me. That certainly seemed simple enough for me to do, and I felt like I was now on easy street. For a time, the fellowship and communion the Lord had restored to me was so wonderful that I felt like I was in the garden of Eden with him. But I then began to encounter a problem that I had never encountered before, and that was the enmity of the carnal mind; thoughts that by nature oppose God, and are impossible to subject themselves to the Lord. When I walked in the faith that stood in my own power, having been deceived by my own understanding, there was no reason for any adversary within to contend with me because I was already walking in darkness. But now that I was walking in the light, here came the enmity of my natural thoughts, tempting me to turn back into the place where darkness would once again be my only reality.
Nahum 1:11 “There is one come out of thee, that imagines evil against the LORD, a wicked counselor.”
All of sudden, whenever I intended to go into prayer, it was like a flood of thoughts would come into my mind trying to reason with me that there were other things more needful and pressing for me to do than to pray. Yet, I knew that if I yielded to these counsels, and did pray, and went to take care of these things of myself, then the presence of the Lord would not go with me, and I would not at all be blessed in any of those things. Even when I resisted those counsels and made it into prayer, it was like another wave of thoughts would then try to tempt me with unbelief or doubt that Father would perform anything for me that his word says that he will. I think that this was the first time that I had ever really encountered an adversary and enemy coming so strongly into the thoughts of my mind to contend with the instructions that the Lord had given to me. As I thought about it, I was not so surprised that Satan would come to contend within me because the Lord had told me that the works that he desired to do would be in my heart and my mind; so where else would the battlefield be except in those very places. The Lord then told me that prayer is always the first thing that the adversary of my enemy will always seek to attack first so that may cut the lines of communication me and my God. It is not me that my adversary is afraid, it is God. No prayer, no God.
Psalm 38:18 “But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
For the first time I realized the truth of that which Paul had said in Ephesians 6:10-13 ASV Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.” We all know that Jesus said that Satan was our adversary, but what I did not know was that he already has a strong ally in the enmity that dwells in the thinking of the carnal mind. Fears, reasonings, unwillingness, doubts, unbelief are just a few of the thoughts that come forth from that enmity to oppose any word that the Lord would speak to his people. What I was shocked to see was how strong and powerful these thoughts were when they would come to attack me just to keep me from asking and praying to the Lord. There were times that the attack in my mind was so great that all that I could do when I went to pray was just cry out and ask the Lord to help me pray, period. I would have never thought that something that seemed so easy could be become so difficult because of the opposition that would come from within.
Romans 8:6,7 AMP Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. That is because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.
Galatians 5:17 AMP “For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.”
II Corinthians 10:4-6 “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; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”
This battle in my mind lasted for some time. I have tried to resist my own thoughts in the past, but this was the first time in my life that actually went to battle against them, to keep my heart from surrendering to the doubts, the unwillingness, the fears, and the unbelief. I cried out, “Father, these thoughts are not from you, and they are not right for me to believe. Would you cast these imaginations from me.” Then one day while I was praying, the Lord asked me, “Mitt, what is harder for you to do, to continually try to do these works of yourself or to just simply ask for me to do them for you?” my first response to his word was that I knew what the result would be if I tried to do these works of myself, that I could expect for a separation to come from the presence of the Lord. I wanted no more part of that, nor to walk down that path again. I already touched that stove once. I became so focused on what I was not going to do that I really did not even hear what the second part of the word that the Lord had spoken to me. Then the Lord said, “Mitt, did you know that my Spirit delights only in doing my will? Did you know that my Spirit delights in performing every word of instruction that has ever come out of my mouth?” Even then, I still did not catch on as to what the Lord was trying to tell me. I just assumed that he was saying that if his Spirit was in me, then I should automatically delight in doing his will. Then after a few days, I suddenly received this revelation, “Wait a minute! If the Spirit of the Lord delights only in doing Father’s will, then why I am finding it so hard to pray? The Spirit of the Lord was certainly in Jesus Christ, but when he went in for prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, he cried out, “Father, not my will be done, but your will be done”. I then perceived that just because the Spirit of the Lord may be in us, it does not mean that we are automatically going to do the will of God.
Matthew 7:21 NIV (Jesus said) “Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 26:38,39 NIV Then Jesus said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
The Lord then opened my eyes again to see more clearly that he has not called us to make us robots that have no will of their own, but he has called us to give us the freedom to choose whose will we desire to make our reality, either the will of man, which is to be his own lord and god, or the will of the flesh, which is the death that rules over the carnal mind, or the will of God. This choice awaits us daily, and all that he has asked of us is to choose. So I was preparing myself to battle against me doing my own will when the Lord suddenly opened my eyes to see that I was preparing my will to go to battle with…..my will. What a stupid thought, yet that was exactly what I was getting ready to do. Then the Lord brought back into my remembrance that which he had said to me, “Mitt, did you know that my Spirit delights in doing my will?” It was then that I finally realized what the Lord was trying to tell me, that this is not about me preparing myself for a battle against myself, a battle which I could never win, but it is simply about me asking the Lord for the gift of his Spirit; the free gift of the Lord that always delights in doing the Lord’s will. If we choose to do Father’s will, then we must be prepared to resist our hearts surrendering to the enmity of the carnal mind, and calling on the name of the Lord, asking for him to come and fight the battle for us.
II Chronicles 20:17 NIV “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life (the thinking of the spiritual mind) and death (the thinking of the carnal mind), blessings (the works of God) and curses (the woks of man). Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
Psalm 40:8 NASB “I delight to do Your will, O my God,
your law (Rom.8:2) is within my heart.”
Luke 11:13 NASB “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?"
Then the Lord began to open the eyes of my understanding to see clearly how my works are nothing other than my will trying to perform the instructions that the Lord has given to us in the scriptures. I then saw clearly as to why all of these kinds of works had been such a burden to me because it is impossible for any man to delight himself in trying to do some other’s will, whether it be the will of God or the will of another man. He may outwardly appear that he is enjoying what he is doing, but his heart is inwardly filled with begrudging, murmuring, and complaining; at least my heart was. I found no joy in trying to love my enemies, or in trying to forgive those who had offended or hurt me. No wonder I had gotten into that dead and desolate place when I tried to please God by trying to do his will through the works of my own will. It is like I was trying to live someone else’s life that did not have the same natural desires or pleasures that I did. What an awful waste of a man’s life. I was so blind to see that this was exactly what I was trying to do, and there is no joy or life to be found when someone tries to live his life according to someone else’s will.
I Corinthians 27-29 NKJ “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.
John 1:12,13 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Matthew 6:10 NIV “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
It was then that I understood what Jesus was doing in that garden, taking up his cross and dying to his own will and waiting on the kingdom to come in his heart that would allow for him to freely do his Father’s will. So I decided to do as Jesus did, pray that Father would receive the offering of my will, and then bless me with his Spirit that delights in doing his will. Up until this moment I had only seen the enmity that inhabits the carnal mind as being the unbelief, the reasonings, the fears, and the doubts that come forth to oppose the counsels of God; but now I was also seeing that my will should definitely be included in that ungodly group. The will of the man is full of his “best efforts” and “good intentions”, that which men naturally use in their attempts to please God, as well as other men. It is these works that surely seem like the right things for men to do to please God because this is what men do when they try to please other men. But the Lord then opened my eyes to see that man’s will is also accompanied with the desire for some manner of recognition for it‘s efforts, whether they be rewarded with glory, or praise, or honor, or money. And if that flesh does not receive recognition for it’s own “best efforts” or “good intentions”, these works of iniquity, then it feels rejected, or disappointed, or hurt, or offended.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, “Lord, Lord”, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?” And then will I profess unto them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
This is the iniquity of man, those works of self-righteousness that come forth when the instructions of God are joined together with the will of the flesh. Do we not all have that natural desire that seeks for our own recognition when we do these things? Do we not all have that desire for some kind of recognition when we put forth our “best efforts” and “good intentions”? How did Cain respond when the Lord did not recognize or receive his sacrifice? The works of iniquity, are not they the sacrifices that one makes to please others through the works and efforts of his own will? In some instances, I have even wondered if we do not even feel like we must receive some kind of recognition for our efforts and deeds as though our own works is what makes our Christianity purposeful, real, and true. In other words, do we look for that which is real and true from the works of iniquity?
Matthew 23:27,28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Philippians 2:21 ASV “For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.”
When the Lord began to open my eyes to see these intents in my heart, this horrible thought then came into my mind. I have heard several serial killers when asked why they killed all the people they did answer that question by saying, “I wanted to make a name for myself; I wanted recognition”. Is this desire for recognition so deeply entrenched in the heart of man that he thinks that he must go to this extreme just so that he can make his life real and true? Just how great is this desire within us that makes our lives seem so meaningless without some kind of recognition? Is recognition how that which is real and true should be measured? Every time they tried to recognize Jesus, he just somehow seem to disappear, as though he had no desire for that to happen.
If the will of man so desires it’s own recognition that it will even resort to these wicked works to obtain it, then to what lengths will it’s desires go to receive recognition from God for the works of iniquity? I suppose one only has to look at Jesus himself, and how the hypocrites treated him because he preached against the works that men do to satisfy their desires for their own recognition and glory. In the end, did they not treat Jesus in the same manner as the serial killer treats his victims? Did they not treat Jesus in the same manner that Cain treated Able because God would not accept or recognize the sacrifice that he brought forth according to his own will? Cain was a man that God directly spoke to in his attempts to get him to repent, but Cain felt so disappointed that he just killed his brother because he got from God the recognition that he wanted for himself. Why was it so hard for him to repent rather than to think that he must kill his own brother? When do men get envious or jealous of others but when they see others get some manner of recognition that they want for themselves. Is this the reality of this world? I suppose then that every man’s will is his own world of reality and truth. Now my eyes were being opened to see why no works of the flesh will glory in the presence of God, because they are only done to satisfy desires, and they are not done out of love.
Galatians 5:24 “Those that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and desires….26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory…”
Matthew 6:1,2 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
James 4:5 NKJ “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
In the years that I walked in my self-righteousness, when I thought that I could please God with my “good intentions” and “best efforts”, there were a couple of verses that I really hated to read. One of those verses was John 15:5 where Jesus said “Without me, you can do nothing”. Nothing? I do not think so! Every time I read that verse, I could hear thoughts within me saying, “This cannot be true; I am going to prove Jesus wrong.” To me, what I was hearing Jesus say in this scripture was like the words that I have heard others speak to me since I was a child, telling me what I could not do. These types of words did nothing strengthen my resolve to prove that I could do what they said I could not do. Of course, when I allowed for this attitude to come forth against what Jesus said in this verse, it just led me strait into my wilderness, separating me from the presence of God. All of his peace, his joy, and his life just seem to disappear altogether from me. So when the Lord corrected me with his understanding of James 2:19,20, I also became more agreeable with that which Jesus was saying in John 15:5; not completely, but far more than I previously had.
It was then that I asked the Lord just what he meant by saying that a man could do nothing without him. The Lord then answered and said, “You can do nothing to please God without me. I am that Spirit that delights in doing Father’s will. I am the Spirit of the Son of God. I am the Spirit of adoption that brings you into Sonship. I am he who Father said, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. I love my Father and my Father loves me, and all things that I see my Father do, that is what I do because I love my Father. I do nothing for my own glory or to satisfy the desires of my own will, but all that I do, I do that my Father may be glorified in all things. I am the Son who could do nothing to please Father of own will, but always sought for his Spirit that delighted in fulfilling Father’s will. Without me, you cannot please Father, because I am what allows you to delight in Father’s will. I am the gift from God for all those who seek to do Father’s will. I am the Spirit of the son that comes forth in the sons of God, in all those who my Father is well-pleased with.”
John 5:30 “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
John 7:18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Romans 8:29 NASB “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Ephesians 1:5 “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
Philippians 4:13 NKJ “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
When the Lord finished speaking this word to me, I then asked, “Lord, I do not even know what your will is, but it just seems like to me that your will is oppressive. What is your will?” Of course, I was still thinking that the Lord was going to require me to fulfill his will through the works of my “best efforts”. The Lord then answered and said, “I came into this world so that you might have life, and that you might have it abundantly. This is my will for you.” Immediately this answer quieted all my foolishness imaginations. I had never once considered that the will of God could be something so wonderful as abundant life. Then the later on the Lord added this, “You do not understand what life is. You think that when you get your will, or when everything goes your way, or when you satisfy your pleasures, or when you feel safe and secure that you have just experienced what life. I tell you that is not life because I am life. I am then nature of life. I the tree of life that is full of the fruits of love, and joy, and kindness, and faith, and gentleness, and mercy, and truth, and peace, and goodness. The fruits of life identify my nature; and my nature is that which is comes natural to me. I am the good tree of life that bears no evil fruit. You cannot find any corrupt, or dead, or rotten fruits in me. My will is for you to bear the fruits of life. Father has given you your destiny; and your destiny is that you should be conformed to my image. I am life. My will if for you to have life. My will is for life to come natural to you, not that which comes to you when get your will. I am the Spirit of adoption that raises you from the dead so that you might have life. Fulfill your destiny. I have called many, but only a few will find life because only a few desire to fulfill their destiny, to be like me. I am life. My life is your reality, now and for eternity.”
Romans 12:2 “And 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 8:6 “The carnal mind is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Matthew 7:13-20 ASV “Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.”
I greatly rejoiced and I felt such peace, having received from the Lord this clear vision as to what the destiny is that the Lord has called each one of us to. I was overwhelmed with the reality of this truth, that the almighty God actually calls us for the purpose of raising us up to be his son. I rejoiced in knowing that my destiny, my vision, and my calling, were all the same thing: to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, through the Spirit of life that is in Jesus Christ. I felt so alive to the calling of my destiny because I not only knew what it was, but because I also knew that it was not going to come forth by any of my “best efforts” or “good intentions”, but by the power of my God; my Abba, Father with whom all things are possible. I had such peace walking in this new faith that actually allows for the Lord to be my God and do great and mighty things for me.
Romans 8:2 NASB “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
II Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
When the Lord became the object of my focus, opening my eyes to see that it is his works that are to accompany my faith, then one of the first fruits that I saw as a result of this new faith was in reading the scriptures. In truth, I used to be fearful and dread reading the scriptures because I was always afraid that I was going to read of something that the Lord would require of me or command me to do that my “best efforts” and “good intentions” would not be able to perform. But now when I read the scriptures, I still remember what the Lord said to me, “My Spirit always delights in doing Father’s will.” So what is there to be fearful of? If I read a word concerning what the Lord requires, I then just simply ask for his Spirit so that I may delight in doing his will. I even started asking for his Spirit so that I can delight in waiting on him. The Lord also brought back into my remembrance another word that he had said before, “Mitt, I have given you the gift of my Spirit to help you. But know this, my Spirit will never surrender itself to do your will, for it only surrenders itself to do my will. Agree with my words, and my Spirit will perform all of my words for you.” Now I find reading the scriptures to be a joyful experience as well as an exciting adventure, asking the Lord for his Spirit to perform his word; for I know now that all such requests are in his will because they come from his words. His yoke truly gets lighter and lighter, and easier and easier; for my only obligation is to believe.
Matthew 8:13 NASB “And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment.”
Job 23:14 “For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me; and many such things are with him.”
Seeing that I was having a hard time praying, I started asking the Lord for his Spirit to do his will, so that it might become a delight for me to pray. As I sit here typing out these words, I cannot even remember how it happened or when it happened, it just happened; that is, at some time after I started asking the Lord to help me to pray, my prayers began to turn more into meetings and conversations with the Lord. The Lord began to speak so much to me that I actually had to also use my note pad to write everything down that the Lord was speaking to me because I could not possibly remember all that he would speak to me. Oh yes, the enemy still seeks to distract me in his attempts to keep me from praying, but when I pray now, it is frequently becomes like the garden of his presence; the presence my enemy cannot enter into. The Spirit has taken that which my flesh dreaded and by his Spirit has made it a delight.
Luke 18:1 NIV “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.”
Psalm 37:4 NIV “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
I also started praying and asking the Lord to send his Spirit so that I could fulfill the righteousness of his word that says, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church.” It was like as soon as I started asking for him to send his Spirit to do this, my eyes were opened to see how clearly foolish it is for me to try and love my wife as Jesus Christ loves her. The truth is, I really had no clue as to how Jesus loved her, but my “best efforts” sure made many attempts to do it, which all ended in failure. Who knows the length, the depth, the width, and the height of the love that Christ has for his church, or for his spouse? Again, my love for her began to grow in ways that I could not see at first. It was like trying to see how a child grows from day to day; you just cannot see it in that way. But if you have not seen that child over a few months, then you will see the growth after you have been separated from them for a time.
Mark 4:26-29 NIV also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
There were two areas of growth in his love for my wife that were dramatic. First, as each day went by, my judgments and criticisms of her began to decrease until now they hardly exist at all. This came as no real surprise because I had once asked the Lord if he would explain what happens that causes one spouse to quit loving the other spouse. The Lord answered me rather quickly saying, “When one begins to judge the other with criticisms, accusations, comparing them to others, or finding fault with them, then their love begins to grow cold. Love does not judge; love just loves.” So I just kept praying, and the Lord kept working. Secondly, my care for her well-being became much greater than for my own well-being. We have now gone through a financial crisis and she had a very serious medical issue. In the medical issue, the doctors say that about 90% of the husbands of wives who have this condition will divorce their wives because of the amount of care they may require. I was stunned to hear this, for in the care of Christ’s love, such a thought could not enter. It was a great delight for me to care for her; and let me testify of this, when I was an atheist, there was no love unless all care was focused only on me.
They say that financial and medical problems are two of the biggest reasons for divorce, but the Spirit of the Lord has casts out all of that selfish reasonings. I will end up saying this about the love of Christ that he has put in my heart for my wife; no matter what she may face the rest of her life, she knows that she has a husband in heaven and a husband on earth that will never leave her, or forsake her, or cease from caring for her, because the Lord in heaven has given his love for her to her husband on earth. Not my will be done, (my own efforts for a good marriage,), but his will (the love that only comes through his Spirit) be done. Glory be to God for his faithfulness to his words.
Chapter 3
Belief grows and faith increases
Over the past 29 years, the Lord has taught me much about the things that I have desired to know about him; and during this time, he has also taught me concerning his mysteries, such as the mystery of iniquity, the mystery of Christ in us, the mystery of wisdom, the mystery of godliness, Mystery Babylon, etc. The Lord has increased my faith so that I can now speak to the mountains in my heart and the strongholds in my mind, and then watch the Lord remove them for me. Even though the Lord has taught me daily, and has done many great and mighty works in my life, he still had not yet moved me into any kind of ministry, other than with my own family and a few others. In fact, when I once inquired of the Lord and asked me if he was ever going to use me, he answered and said that he was, but it would be after he had finished teaching me, giving me “his” understanding of “his” words; lest I lead someone astray by speaking my opinions of “his” words .
Proverbs 21:16 “The man that departs from the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.”
II Corinthians 2:17 “We are not as many which corrupt (deceive with their own opinions) the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ (Christ who is the truth).”
Then a little over 7 years ago, I was in prayer one morning when the Lord asked me if I would sell my business and my house so that he could now put me full time into the ministry. Even though I had no clue at that time as to what kind of ministry the Lord had in mind, I agreed and surrendered my heart to his request, provided that he give me to a willing heart to do so. I had learned by this time that if we believe on him, and ask of him, he is able to give us a willing heart that delights in doing anything that Father may ask of us. This is one of those works of God that should accompany our faith. A willing heart is a heart where you will not find the presence of any reasonings, or unbelief, or fears, or pride, or doubts that make the heart unwilling. The Lord had done so many wonderful works in my life by the time that he had asked me to do this that there was really no way that I was not going to follow him, regardless of where this ministry may take me. I had also learned by this time that if we desire to dwell continually in his presence, and his presence is abundant life, then we should follow him. In that first year after selling my house and my business, I waited for the Lord to direct me where to go. But the Lord never gave me any indication as to just what or where this ministry was going to take me. What did happen in that first year was that in just about every meeting of our fellowship, the Lord came to us speaking many prophesies to us concerning new things to come; and telling us that he was the new thing to come. But we still did not understand.
Psalm 110:3 “Thy people shall be made willing in the day of thy power…”
II Corinthians 8:12 NKJ “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.”
There was one word that the Lord spoke to us that especially caught our attention, and it was a word that the Lord repeated to us several times saying that what was coming was far greater than anything any of us could imagine. This word caught our attention because it was quite contrary to all the doom and gloom that we had heard many others prophesying of. By the end of that year, we had received over 250 prophesies, and not one of them spoke about any doom and gloom that was coming at the end of the world, for all of the words that the Lord had given to us only focused on one thing, the new thing that is to come; and that new thing was Jesus coming in all of his glory. Through these words the Lord also detailed for us the works that the Lord would need to do in us to prepare our hearts and our minds to receive this new thing. I really did not know how precious these prophesies were until about three years ago when I heard the Lord speak through several different prophets saying, “My people are not prepared for my coming.”
Proverbs 16:1 “The preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord (this is a work that the Lord does that only accompanies faith).”
Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for in such an hour as you do not think, the Son of man comes.
Matthew 25:10 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”
Much to the surprise to our fellowship, the works that the Lord told us that he needed to do was to prepare our hearts to receive the new thing that was coming; to cleanse of the sins of unbelief, reasonings, doubt, and fear. Again, this was quite contrary to the instructions given by those prophesying of the doom and gloom, saying that one prepares by gathering food and heading for the hills. The Lord did not have to work in us concerning any unbelief or doubts that Jesus is the Son of God, nor did he have to work in us concerning any unbelief or doubts that Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead, and neither did he have work in us to believe that our sins are all covered by the blood of Christ. No, it was none of these beliefs but rather it was that we needed to come into the belief and the faith that is of Jesus Christ. This belief and faith is a spiritual faith and belief, and it is the belief that makes all things possible. This is a belief that does not put any boundaries on the love that God has for us, nor does it put any limitations on the power that God is willing to show us, and give to us. I was quite excited about what the Lord was beginning to show us because I had always wondered how a man could come into that state of belief where seeing the impossible to be done is the natural thing, and not the supernatural. I knew that Jesus would not have spoken of this faith and belief unless he intended for us to come into it, to make it real and true for us.
The Lord gave me a vision where I saw a bunch of angels that were gathered together in heaven, and they were all looking at the men on earth. Each one of these angels was amazed at all of the unbelief, the reasonings, the doubts, the rebellion, and the fears towards God that they saw in the hearts of all men. But what really had all of these angels astonished was how men esteemed and believed that all such thinking was that which is real and true. It was as they were looking on men as though we were some kind of weird aliens, which we were to them because they had no such thoughts within them. The inhabitants of the earth are aliens because the children of darkness are separated from the God who created and loves them because of their unbelief, ignorance, doubts, fears, pride, and reasonings. It is these thoughts of darkness that make God to be nothing more than a fictional character in the illusions of their mind. It was this thinking in man that these angels looked on, and they could not comprehend how any man could think that these thoughts were real and true. It was like they had never seen any such creatures that had ever possessed any of these thoughts.
Colossians 1:21 “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.”
Ephesians 4:17,18 NIV “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
The Lord began to show us that the only way for our faith to increase and the only way for belief to be perfected was for us to allow Jesus to increase in us, because Jesus, as that Spirit, is the belief and that faith that we do not have. For him to increase, we needed to decease in our fears, doubts, and unbelief. The only thing that we need for God to perform his promises, or his words, or that which is impossible for us, is to believe. The Lord showed us that the more we believe, the more we will ask of him; the more we ask of him, the more he will do; the more he does, the more will believe; the more we believe, the more he will do. Of course, once the Lord begins to do great and mighty things within you or for you, then your joy and peace begin to multiply, and you begin to stay in an constant state of hungering and thirsting for the Lord to do more because his joy and peace is so, so good. This path to the unbeliever may seem tedious, but that is only because he cannot see the work that the Lord is doing within, just like no one could see that the woman with the menstrous condition could see that she got healed. Who looks for joy and peace to come as a result of God working in your belief? What man is able to see what another man believes?
Mark 9:23 “If you can believe then all things shall be possible”.
John 6:28 Then the disciples asked, “Lord, what shall we do that we might do the works of God?” Jesus answered and said, “This is the work of God that you believe on him who he sent.”
Philippians 1:6 “Be confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:13 NASB “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I was then praying one morning when the Lord asked, “Mitt, do you believe my words?” I answered, “Lord, I think that I do.” Then the Lord asked, “Do you love your enemies and bless those who curse you?” Knowing that the Lord knows all of the thoughts and intents of my heart, I knew that I could not hide anything from him; so I answered no. Then the Lord asked me again, “Do you believe my words?”. Again, I answered that I thought that I did. Then the Lord said, “Mitt, if you believed my word, then they would be written in your heart by my Spirit, and it would be natural for you to love your enemies and to bless those who curse you. You can only believe my words after my Spirit has been joined together with my words; and when they are joined together in your heart, your nature shall become as my words. I will join my Spirit to all the words that you sow to me; that is, I will join my Spirit to all the words that you ask for my Spirit to come to. Only after my Spirit comes to you shall you receive the belief that allows for you to delight in loving your enemies and blessing those who curse you. At this moment, you only agree with the scriptures, that they are my words, but you do not believe them. You agree that these words are from me, but how to delight in doing them you have not found because you have not received my Spirit. The power to perform my words does not come from agreeing with my word but it comes only by my Spirit; and my Spirit believes all of my words and delights in doing them all. Without my Spirit, it is impossible for any to love their enemies because only my Spirit is able to love your enemies. Ask for my Spirit.” Talk about shock and awe! I was simply stunned. My desire to enter into this new realm of the Spirit shot through the roof like a rocket. If God was willing to give me his Spirit that would change my nature, then I was willing to receive it. Talk about a new thing, I just could not reason within myself what it would truly be like to have a heart and mind that by nature would love my enemies and bless those who have cursed me. Surely this would be a great and mighty work that only the Lord God almighty could do. My heart still burns with great desire to be like my heavenly Father.
John 12:47 “Jesus said, “If any man hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He that rejects me has not received my words and he has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken shall judge him in the last day.”
Romans 7:18 “For I know that no good thing dwells in my flesh; for to will (he agrees) is present with me, but how to perform (believe) that which is good I cannot find.”
Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spoke to me saying, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit“, says the Lord of hosts.
It was with this explanation that I began to see and truly understand the difference between the play-acting of hypocrisy and the doing of things by nature that comes by the power (nature) of his Spirit. Who considers anything a work that he has delight and pleasure in doing? Hypocrisy is the work that comes forth when the words of God are joined together with the works of man. None of these works are real and true, but they are only imitations and pretenses because they are not that which is natural for the spirit of man to do. The only delight that those have who do such works is that they feel good about themselves because they feel justified by their own works. These also find pleasure in the praise, the honor, and the glory that others may give to him for their efforts. When belief comes in through then Spirit of the Lord, then by the nature of his Spirit a man will delight in doing God’s will. When I played the game of hypocrisy, I was really good at this play-acting because that is what seemed to come so naturally to me. If I did not love my brethren or my enemies, then pretending like I did seemed like the only choice that I had so that I could appear righteous.
I tried to make my imitations and pretenses to be real and true, but it just got to the point where I could not carry that burden any more, the burden of living the lie. Who has life who lives the lie? I was also tired of being afraid that someone, some how, might find out that I was not really who I pretended to be. In fact, when the Lord showed me the truth about my iniquities (self-righteous efforts and works) and hypocrisies, that they were neither real nor true, I saw myself as one who Jesus was speaking to when he said, “Come to me all you who are heavy laden (with play-acting) and take my yoke (his Spirit) upon you; for my yoke is light and easy.” I am so thankful that the Lord did not take long to correct me of this because even though I played that game well, it was just miserable for me to try and make the lies of pretense to appear real and true. Is this a game that any one wins at? Many will give up on God because they actually believe that it is God that requires them to play this game. Sadly, there are those who have played this game for so long, and so well, that they actually believe that they have won because they have come to believe that their pretenses and hypocrisies are that which is real and true. As for me, I was so happy that the victory is in Jesus who reveals the truth about what is real; and his truth delivered me from my own works. I knew that I was really going to love going into this deeper realm of belief where the Spirit would completely set me free from all these heavy works of hypocrisy and the illusions of pretense. Then, and only then, can a man believe that he is real and true.
Psalm 90:8 “I delight to do your will for your law (the law of the Spirit of life) is in my heart.”
Even though I really loved all of these works that the Lord has done in me and for me, I still felt like I was missing a friend, a tugging from that old faith. In those dry times, I would hear the words coming back to entice me to do my own works so that I could again feel good about myself, as though these works is what I needed to do to make my Christianity to be real and true. I also missed that feeling that my own works gave to me, like this was my purpose. But thanks be to God, the Lord would come and remind me how contrary these two understandings of faith were, and those thoughts would just go back into the darkness, like a prostitute walks back into the night when she has been rejected. Even so, I began to wonder what was coming because I wanted to get past all of this correction of my doubts and unbelief. I then had this thought “Lord, why is it that you are showing me so much about belief and faith? I mean, how much more is there for me to learn about them?” I asked this question because I felt like I was growing kind of weary of just hearing about faith and belief. To my surprise, the Lord had been listening to my thoughts because he spoke and said, “When you were under the old faith, you felt far from my presence, and that is because you were always weighed down with your hypocrisies and mindful of all the many works that you thought I required for you to perform. But in the new faith, you are drawing nearer to my heart and more mindful of me because you are now looking for me to perform my words for you. If then your only obligation in this new faith is for you to believe on me, then would you not expect for there to be much to learn about your belief and faith? All that I am able to do for you can only be done according to the faith and belief that is in you. The more you believe my words, the more great and mighty works you shall see me perform in your heart.”
Isaiah 29:13,14 NKJ “Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men. Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
Romans 8:5 NKJ “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.”
Isaiah 26:3 NKJ “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in You.”
Matthew 9:29 NIV “Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith it will be done to you.”
Matthew 8:13 NIV “Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.”
Luke 1:45-49 NIV “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.”
Then the Lord opened the eyes of my understanding to see and comprehend that it is not possible for any fleshly understanding of his words to birth anything other than the fleshy works of man; and like-wise, it is not possible for the spiritual understanding to birth any thing other than the works performed by God. I then also understood that they that are born after the flesh delight in their own righteousness that is birthed out of the works of their own hands because it leads to them to feel they have justified themselves, and now they also feel good about themselves, just like what I was feeling for a time. So also, those who are born after the Spirit are those who delight only in the works of God; the works that are birthed out of the righteousness of their belief and faith. It is also by his hand that God justifies them by the works that he performs in their hearts and minds. I must admit that I was greatly frightened to see the reality of how far I had gotten from the Lord because of my own understanding of his words. If the understanding of that word in James had not come from the Lord, then I would have continued believing that the works of my hands and my hypocrisies were that which was real and true. It is not the words that need to be changed, but our understanding of them.
Romans 9:31 NIV “But Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.”
Luke 16:15 “And he said unto them, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Romans 4:4,5 NKJ “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.”
The Lord then continued speaking to me about belief and faith. “I am showing you much about your belief and your faith to prepare you for my coming; for when I come, I will be looking for those whose faith has been purified and made holy. Is it not written that the trying of your faith is more precious than gold that is tried in the fire, so that your faith made be found unto praise, and honor, and glory at my appearing? Do you believe that I am as good as my word, that I will truly do all things for you as my word says that I will? Do you believe that I love you? Do you believe that I will never leave you or forsake you? Do you trust me with all your being? Do you believe that I will protect you when the darkness comes? Do you believe that I am able to deliver you from every evil work? Do you believe that you have no need to worry about your life, that I will provide all that which you have need of? Do you believe that I can change the intents of your heart? Do you believe that I can establish life and peace in all of your thinking? Do you believe that it is truly my hearts desire to give my kingdom to you? Do you believe that I am able to raise you and make you to be the son who is to be equal with God?
II Timothy 4:18 “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work…”
Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God.”
When I try your faith, it is so that you can really see what you believe and where your faith is. The trial of your faith does not come as an opportunity for you to show me how strong you are in your own faith or how determined you are in your own will, but trials come to you the weaknesses of your unbelief, your doubts, your reasonings, your pride, your unwillingness, and your fears. Are not all these things the impurities that corrupt all faith and belief? So when you are tried, do not be afraid when you see any of these impurities, but prepare to offer your weaknesses before me. Remember that I have showed you that the consciousness of the spiritual mind is belief. Will you allow for me to purge your consciousness of the dead thoughts that defile your faith and belief with fear, unbelief, pride, unwillingness, reasonings, and doubts? When I try your faith, it is to set you free from the unrighteous thoughts that separate you from life. When you confess this unrighteousness, then I will come and show myself to faithful to you, and I will cleanse and purge you of all these impurities. Be faithful to my words, and I will be faithful to you. When I have cleansed you, then shall you find that faith and belief that will cause your heart to abound with hope, and joy and peace. The more you allow for me cleanse you, the more you will believe; the more you believe, the more joy and peace will abound in you. I am the faith that is to found unto praise, and honor, and glory.
I Peter 1:6,7 NASB “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Luke 18:8 NASB “….However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
Hebrews 9:14 NASB “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving…shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.”
Hebrews 3:19 “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
Now and understand. In the spiritual realm, all things are possible because all have the mind of Christ, and the mind of Christ is the consciousness that believes all things. No man can come into the spiritual realm except those who are like-minded in Christ. I am your belief, and I your holy faith. I am holy, and you be holy. I am the belief that allows for you to enter into the Holy of Holies, to draw near unto Father. No man can enter into the Holy realm except those who believe that all things are possible with God. No man can enter into the Holy realm who brings an offering of his “good intentions” and “best efforts”. No man can enter into the Holy realm that honors the unrighteousness of unbelief, carnal reasonings, doubts, pride, unwillingness, or fear to be that which is right and truth. Even so, many will be allowed to enter into the Holy realm who bring their unbelief, their carnal reasonings, their doubts, their unwillingness, their pride, and their fears to present them as burnt offering sacrifices before God; for our God is a consuming fire. All these who delight in offering their unrighteousness before Father are they who will be cleansed and purged. Those who give unto Father their unrighteousness shall be they who Father gives the gift of righteousness: ME! He who decreases in his unbelief and doubts is he who increases in ME. I am the gift of God. I am the gift of faith and belief that brings forth righteousness. You can do nothing without me because I alone believe that all things are possible! I am the faith that saves you. I am the Christ, the gift that Father is offering to all who will come to me. I am the door. I am the door into the Holy of holies. No man comes to the Father except through me. I am the door of belief that opens the way into Father‘s heart. I will be the holy faith and the belief for all who will have me.
Jude 20,21 NIV But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit (believing). Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Philippians 3:8-10 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”
Hebrews 4:9-11 “There remained therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he hath ceased from his own works as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
Hebrews 8:8-11 NKJ “The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
John 14:6 NIV Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 10:7-9 NASB “So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
I Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
I was overwhelmed with these words and went into much meditation, trying to comprehend the depth of the truth of all that which I had just heard. My mind went completely quiet to the thoughts that questioned why the Lord was showing me so much about belief and faith. Instead of feeling that I was full of faith and belief, I now felt like I was greatly lacking. I felt so ignorant and foolish for even asking such a question. I clearly saw the vanity of every thought that I had ever had that said that I could do anything pleasing and acceptable before God of myself. It was now all so clear for me to see, for when I was atheist, I had no belief or faith, and now I know that Jesus, as the Christ of faith and belief entered into me. Jesus is truly all in all. Here I had been focused on the belief and faith that just asks the Lord to work in my heart and mind, and now he was showing me how he, as this holy faith and belief is the door that allows for one to enter into the Holy place. Was this the plan of God, to make Jesus to be the belief and faith that makes us righteous in the sight of God? Then the Spirit of the Lord quickened to me that which is written in Romans 10:10 NIV “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified…” That is it Lord, now I see that Jesus is that belief and faith seeks to dwell in our hearts that allows us to draw near to Father in his holy presence; for the heart that does not draw near is that heart that does not believe, lacking Jesus Christ. It is not laws and commandments that keep us mindful of you, but it is you, the consciousness of faith and belief. This is the real work that you need to work in our hearts, so that we may believe that all things are possible with you.
John 6:28,29 “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
The Lord confirmed this new revelation about belief while we were in worship and prayer one evening. While we were praying, the Spirit of the Lord urged me to ask, “Lord, your word says that when two or more are gathered together in your name that you are here in the midst of us. Lord, in what manner are you present with us?” The Lord immediately answered and said, “I am your belief; I am in your faith”. Wow! I then realized what Paul had been speaking of when he spoke of having the “faith of Christ” and not the “faith in Christ“; that is, he had the faith and the belief that is of the Spirit, and that Spirit is Christ; and this is that faith and belief that leads us into that realm where “all things” are possible; a realm where the darkness of Satan’s lies cannot tempt us with any of the lies of fear, or doubt, or unbelief. If a man lacks faith or belief, he does not need faith or belief, he needs more of Jesus who is that spirit of faith and belief. Now it was clear to me why John the Baptist said, “I must decrease so that he can increase”’ why the disciples said, “Lord, increase our faith; and why Paul said, “It is God who gives us the increase.“ This revelation sure takes the burden out of any human effort trying to do any of the works that the Lord has instructed of us through the scriptures. It also brings clear understanding to that which Jesus said in John 15:5 “Without me (faith and belief), you can do nothing.” All that we have need of is Jesus, he that is freely given to all of us who call on him. Then shall we believe his words and do the works of God because it is he in us doing the works in us.
The Lord gave my daughter Ansley a vision where she saw Jesus in the most restful and peaceful state that she has ever seen or witnessed in her life. She had such a desire to be in that same place as he was in that she asked, “Lord, how can I get enter into this place where you are?” Jesus answered, “Cry out for the belief!” This state of mind that Ansley saw Jesus in was probably not whole lot different than the state of mind that he was in when slept through that great and mighty storm that had come him and his disciples when they were in that boat. The storm was tossing that little boat around so that it completely swamped it out with water. Now most of his disciples were men that had grown up as fisherman, and surely they had been caught in many bad storms. But this storm was so great that they all thought that they were surely going to perish. Where was Jesus while the rest of them were working to save their lives? Asleep.
It is obvious that his disciples were still carnally minded, believing that the outcome to their situation was going to be what their fears and doubts were dictating to them, that they were soon going to perish. This storm had revealed their doubts, their fears, and their unbelief towards God; and by these unrighteous thoughts, their minds were greatly troubled and tormented. But Jesus was spiritual minded, in that spiritual realm of belief that worldly situations are powerless to dictate any “worst case scenarios”; for in this spiritual realm, one only thinks that all things are possible. Jesus had peace because he had no other thoughts than knowing that his heavenly Father is always in complete control over all the circumstances and situations that may arise in this life. Then when their unbelief and fears woke Jesus up, they said in Mark 4:38 “Master, do you not care that we are perishing?” Then Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he then said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Later, we ourselves were praying when the Lord asked us, “Are you willing to get into a swamped out boat so that you may see the care of my love and the power that I am willing to work on your behalf? If not, then would it not be wise for you to cry out for the belief.”
What is easier for Jesus to do: to command the stormy winds and seas to be at peace or to command the stormy thoughts in our minds to be at peace? So many seek and ask for peace to come, hoping that the Lord will change their situations rather than to change their minds with the belief that brings joy and peace with it. Those who have no change in their belief are those who will always be looking for he Lord to change their situations because they will find themselves continually in bondage to the same fears and doubts that always trouble and torment them. Now those who have offered their fears, their doubts, and their unbelief before the Lord when the storm arose, they will be purged and cleansed of these unrighteous thoughts, and they will sleep in peace right through the next storm, because the peace of God, Jesus will rule in their hearts and minds. Jesus could have cared less about that storm because there were no storms of doubt or fear that blow through the thoughts of his mind. Jesus is the gift of God, that gift of belief and faith that freely causes all joy and peace to come to those who cry out to him for it. Where else is a man able to go to get the faith and belief that he does not presently have? “O Lord, increase our faith and give unto us your Spirit that believes all things!”
Luke 11:13 “If you then, being evil (unbelief) know how to give good gifts to your children: then how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit (belief) to them that ask him?