Overcomers

In this study we will attempt to put the study of spiritual things into some order of understanding so that we might understand why the condition of the heart is so important to understanding. Jesus said His disciples did not understand or believe because of the hardness of their heart. If they had this problem we also may have the same problem. It should be clear that those with hard or dull heart problems are not good candidates for “overcoming”.

Mark 6:50] for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, "Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid." [51] And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished, [52] for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

MATH 13:13] "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. [14] "And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, `YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; [15] FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES LEST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM.

We see such a diverse difference between believers in their capacity to understand spiritual things and wonder why. It is not because they are intellectually dull because they may be especially intelligent but still not understand spiritual things. We soon discover it is not because of the length of time they have been “saved” either. Exactly the same thing is true of spiritual growth and we suspect that spiritual growth is related to spiritual understanding. Some Pentecostal people may attribute it to “power” through the baptism of the Holy Spirit but we discover this is not THE factor. Natural ability is not the factor in spiritual gifts and graces so there must be another dimension.

Let us use Matthew 5-6 &7 as our example of spiritual things that are difficult to understand. The problem of understanding this teaching of Jesus is that it requires revelation that is of a different dimension than natural, normal understanding. He preaches and teaches from a realm of life and revelation which is above and beyond the natural realms. For that reason much of His teaching leaves us confused until we get into that same dimension.

The eternal wisdom of God which is the Word of God is made wisdom to us in Christ Jesus. However, this doesn’t seem to be the experience of much of the church that are “saved”. Still, since He has been made unto us wisdom from God there must be a provision where we can experience that wisdom in reality.

The “common sense realm” is always busy trying to convince us that is the only realm and any other realm is weird and make believe or just deception. For example; Salvation is just the figment of imagination of religious fanatics because it is outside the realm of logic. “Do you mean that the Creator God became flesh and dwelt among men as a man and then died to redeem mankind?” “ You say He then resurrected. and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, Who He actually was in the beginning?” “You people are really weird!” Still multitudes know they are born again and have assurance of “salvation”. Is this just the figment of religious imagination? .NO! They were born into another realm that is beyond normal logic.

“ Let there be light and there was light” does not fit into natural logic. We seem like crazy people to believe such a thing. Still “in Jesus Christ” and in His realm it seems perfectly logical. Just examining these truths from an intellectual curiosity is completely ruled out.

Once we enter by the doorway into the spiritual realm where He is, a whole universe of revelation knowledge opens to us. The key to this knowledge is a pure heart. However, there appears to be degrees of understanding opening to us in the measure that our heart is cleansed. As we enter we may recognize that Jesus is Lord but have no other revelation until we surrender to Him as our Lord.

We must enter into this realm of spiritual reality by faith and spiritual development. Of course it is the Holy Spirit that must lead us into these truths. In this realm the natural is explained by the spiritual rather than the other way around. Those in the natural realms try to explain the spiritual by the natural which only leads to further confusion. This is the experience of those who reject the Holy Spirit in His revelator of truth and gifts function.

If we are going to understand the mysteries that were hidden from the foundation of the world it cannot be by more education or higher degrees of learning but only by revelation. However, as we study, the Holy Spirit can give us understanding. Still this “understanding” must come within the heart and since a hard heart cannot know or understand spiritual things the cleansing of the heart must precede revelation. Some will point out that Paul was given revelation of Jesus Christ before he was converted. That is correct and the Holy Spirit is still giving the revelation of Christ today. If He weren’t no one would be saved.

However, understanding the mysteries is not within the mind but within the heart. Hard or defiled hearts do not have the capacity to understand spiritual things. Paul calls this condition “carnal” or “the natural man” that cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him.

Since the hard heart refuses obedience it closes the door to understanding and no revelation can be received. JOHN 7:17] "If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself. [18] "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him

For that reason in this realm of deeper life of prayer, the condition of the heart is the key to the open heaven. The deeper the life of prayer, the farther we enter into this inner life of communion and revelation. The mistake of much of the Pentecostal movement, the Charismatic movement and now the Restoration movement is in trying to move into these spiritual realms of gifts, miracles, healings and deliverance outside of this deeper life of prayer. If prayer is lacking, the “ministry” will be based upon passed experience and understanding.

It appears from what Jesus said about the heart that God must do some deep house cleaning of the heart before we can understand spiritual truth except in a superficial way. To “understand with the heart” surely must be quite different than the popular way of Christian education that stays busy informing the mind.

I suspect that to understand Matthew 5-6 & 7 with the mind through natural ability will leave us frustrated, as most of us could testify. These chapters have been rejected by some fundamentalist groups because they are so difficult that they seem to eliminate “grace” in the narrow fundamentalist definition of grace. They therefore assign these chapters to Israel during the Millennium when Jesus rules with a rod of iron. However, from the spiritual dimension it is clear that “grace” is precisely the way we can live by Matthew 5- 6 & 7. Still, without the Spirit of Grace, ignoring these chapters or assigning them to another time seems to be quite logical.

For example; He calls us to be generous to all men, good and bad, because God causes his blessings to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Within that context then the Holy Spirit may impress us that the one who won’t work should not eat. Is that a contradiction? NO! Is that illogical? Not in the

Being seated with Him in heavenly places lifts us up to the “universe of revelation” where we begin to see from His viewpoint and His vantage point. Still, even when Jesus was on earth He lived in the revelation world and spoke from the revelation world of His Father. How then can we expect to understand what He said and taught unless we enter into this same realm. In the earthly realm His teaching makes little sense and very often is quite offensive.

JOHN 14:6] Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. [7] "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." [8] Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." [9] Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, `Show us the Father'? [10] "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. [11] "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves.

This series of statements are absolute and appear to be arrogant to other religions. At least they are not courteous or tolerant of other religions and completely excludes them as being valid. He IS the WAY excludes every other way. He IS the TRUTH excludes all other truths and He IS the LIFE excludes all lesser lives. Then every realm below where He was speaking from is offended and this exclusiveness is unacceptable and ridiculous. To Him it was all perfectly logical and NORMAL. I and My Father are One.

Secular scientists are able to explore the universe of this lower dimension but have no sense of or understanding of this higher realm. For that reason they reject it as fantasy or religious deception. They can search for a lifetime to see if there is any evidence that there ever was life on Mars. They find a tiny bit of carbon in an asteroid and conclude there was life on Mars. Still they reject any thought of a higher Life above the natural life of man. The problem is we can only touch the reality of this higher realm by faith and obedience, by doing His will!

Being born again, being born of the water and being born of the Spirit IS being born into this spiritual realm of eternal reality. We can “get born” with little effort on our part but growth into these realms of spiritual reality is another process that requires perseverance and discipline. Gifts are “given” but they still must be developed and learned to be used.

Walking in the light as He , Himself is in the light is the key to fellowship. That applies both with God and with our brothers who are also walking in that same measure of light. Even though we may have no natural affinity with them or the same other interests our fellowship is “in the light”. However, we should be aware that to walk in HIS light means that we are walking in a different dimension than the greatest majority of the “born-again” church. This dimension will be offensive to those walking in natural light, even in the born-again church.

MAT 5:48] "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus sets one example and one goal for all men regardless of national origin. The highest example that is given to us to pattern our lives is God, Himself. MAT 5:44] "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you [45] in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Jesus doesn’t present these things as just a higher life but so that we might be the children of God. If we pattern our lives after the best men we can find the pattern will still be defective. The ones we pattern after may still hate their enemies. Only the Father truly loves His enemies and laid down His life for those enemies that killed Him. It should be clear that this is a realm above where most of us are presently.

To live in that realm requires that we experientially possess supernatural grace. Sometimes when we do “good things” we think we are giving a “Christian witness” and demonstrate Christian character. But to love our enemies is true Christ likeness. We can only “be perfect” in that dimension as God works that perfection into us and “perfection”can never be the product of trying harder with human effort.

Besides the imperfections listed in Mark 7:20-23 there is buried in the heart someplace the whole problem of selfishness and self-centeredness. The “what can I get out of it” and the ME first syndrome. The great problem for me in the past has been taking what seems to be the scriptural requirements for the bride, the overcomers, the bondservants, the manifested sons and the wife of the Lamb [ the New Jerusalem and the Kingdom of God ] and then try to live up to them. This has been discouraging because it involves “self-effort”. By now we should all know that only by death to self and self-surrender can we live by those standards.

Self-assertion is the basis of much of what is called positive confession. Because we see Bible truth we claim that truth as our experience and confess it as though it was our experience. We confess fantasy because it is far from our experience. We become self-complacent and satisfied with our character because we have “confessed” the character of Christ, even though we may be living like devils.

Self-conceit , self- confident, self-conscious, self- control, self-defense, self-esteem, our self-expression [the expression of self], self-help, self-importance, self-indulgence, self-interest, self-love, self-pity, self-possessed [ not demon possessed] , self-preservation, self-reliant, self-righteous, self-satisfaction

[satisfied with myself], self-seeking, self-sufficient, self-will and all forms of selfishness are all part of our root problem. We can make a doctrine about self-surrender but “self” cannot fully surrender and must be put to death by crucifixion. We may take up our cross but self-crucifixion is not possible. Therefore the crucifixion of “self” is part of that which must be removed by circumcision of the heart and must be done by God as we confess and hate these things.

Even though “self” is at the root of many of our problems and it is “self” that resists the removal of those things in Mark 7, it is difficult to “hate” self because that is who we are. These “self-characteristics” are how we identify ourselves. Our excuse is that is how God made me. However, what God is seeking to “make” is us in the image of Christ. Everything that God made was originally good but what we are is what was produced by the fall and then the downward spiral into darkness. We are not God’s original creation.

MT 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, `YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; [28] but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. [29] "And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. [30] "And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell.

The “parts missing” doctrine of holiness is suspect because we assume that God is perfect because He has one hand or an eye missing. Neither was Jesus perfected that way! Then Jesus must be speaking from another realm than the natural. The “parts missing doctrine” must have it’s application within the spiritual life and be understood from that dimension.

If the “parts missing” is all part of the circumcision of the heart and is part of the removal of the things in Mark 7 we have hope. Since lust is in the heart and causes adultery of the heart ,removing the eye is not an effective solution. Circumcision of the heart to remove the lust then is the solution. Since stealing is a problem of the heart, removing a hand will not be effective. Removing the hand is the Muslim solution to stealing. This is one basic difference between Christianity and every other religion on earth. Only Christianity can deal with the root problem and it is done from inside, subjectively by the Spirit of God. Those who reject the Holy Spirit’s work condemn themselves to a life of limited change but still always trying to do better by human self effort. God effects the change on the inside, in the heart, and that effects the change on the outside.

MAT 7:21] "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. [22] "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' [23] "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Kingdom holiness must be measured by our conforming to the laws of God. No mater how pious we look on the outside if our life is without the laws of God we will be lawless and be eliminated from the Kingdom of God. Obviously, ministry is not the measure of Christ’s character. Some can do miracles while still being lawless. The solution is Not in stop doing miracles and praying for the sick and casting out demons. The solution is in living by the laws of God that have been written on our hearts and put into our minds. “Holiness” then must be in conforming to the laws of God in obedience and not in what we wear.

GAL 2:20] "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. The King James version and Knox and others say “I live by the faith of the Son of God”.

When we try to understand what Paul said out of the logic of our intellect it doesn’t make much sense. Also only the pure in heart can even conceive of living by the faith OF the Son of God. In addition to that only those living in the life of that higher realm Can comprehend the things of that realm. In other words to accept this as literal experiential truth would be foolishness to the natural man. How can we “live by the faith OF the Son of God” if whole regions of doubt are still in our heart. In that same way we can’t love our enemies if there is still hate in our hearts. We can’t worship God in Truth if our heart is full of lies.

In the realms of the Son of God, walking on water is normal and logical. In that dimension the laws of gravity are not the priority but faith. By His faith we also can walk on water even as Peter began to do when we enter into that dimension. If walking on water was “a miracle” in His dimension and not “normal” He shouldn’t have rebuked Peter for his lack of faith for sinking.

In these lower dimensions good manners, polite habits , pleasant personality and sociological skills are judged as good character or even a good Christian testimony. In His realms Divine Characteristics are normal and there is a mighty difference between the two dimensions. The difference is between “man’s holiness” and “God’s Holiness”. Man’s holiness can be learned while God’s Holiness must be infused into us by His Spirit.

JOHN 14:29] "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it comes to pass, you may believe. [30] "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; If Satan comes to check us out how much of himself will he find in us? He obviously found something of himself in Judas, in Ananias and Sapphira and in Simon the ex-sorcerer. Satan entered into their heart. Circumcision is removing all ground from our life that belongs to Satan and areas to which he has access.

JOHN 15:13] "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. [14] "You are My friends, if you do what I command you. [15] "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. [16] "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.

Here is a realm that we know nothing of as yet. This is a realm above where we are at the present and may seem to be extremely radical. My desire is to live in this realm and discover what the Father is saying to Jesus concerning the church in our generation. This would be extremely helpful in ministering to the needs of the church even though it might be offensive to some

In this realm beyond the veil that separates the realms there is a reality that we know nothing of. It would be similar to the realm of the Most Holy Place that is separated from the Holy Place with a veil. Under the Old Covenant a priest after the order of Aaron could spend his whole life only ministering in the Holy Place. The Most Holy Place was beyond the veil to which he had no access. He may speculate what the manifest Presence of God would be like and to stand in the shekinah glory but every time the Tabernacle was torn down to move the cloud was already lifted. It was from between the cherubim that God spoke to Moses, as a man speaks to another man, face to face. This is a realm above the Holy Place but is as real or more real than the Holy Place but may seem abnormal to us.

Under the New Covenant this veil is torn and the Bible says we have “access”. HEB 10:19 Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence [Parrhesia- freedom of speech] to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, [21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

There is a realm (or two) above where we are that is open and available for us to enter. This is offered and is now possible, even if not yet in the body, but by our freedom of speech. The point is this; Exactly what would that experience mean to us and what would we “see” or “hear” that would be perfectly normal in that dimension of the Most Holy Place. Jesus said some incredible things about His relationship with the Father that seems too far out for our dimension. However, in the dimension from which He was speaking it is perfectly logical. John 17 is a prayer of that higher dimension.

When Jesus fed the 5000 and again when He fed the 7000 he did it in a matter of fact way that implied that feeding the multitudes with a few loaves and a few fish was normal. Walking on the water is normal in that dimension. Taking money out of a fish’s mouth is normal to pay taxes. Even the transfiguration is normal in that realm. Jesus didn’t seem to treat the transfiguration as something extraordinary but matter of fact reality.

If we speak of the “bride of Christ” in this lower realm of human existence it seems like a strange concept or some fantasy bordering on arrogance or fanaticism. If we became one with Christ that would make us one with the trinity. However, if we stood in the dimension of Christ and His eternal purpose and His viewpoint “the bride” would be a normal experience of personal intimacy.

COL 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. [3] For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

2 COR 1:19] For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us--by me and Silvanus and Timothy--was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. [20] For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

Every promise of God is “YES” in Christ. Then why is it that we are not experiencing all these promises as realities in our lives? We can’t scripturally say these promises are not for me because “NO” is not a possibility. There must be a dimension “IN CHRIST” that we have not yet experienced. In our human dimension certain promises are given (like salvation or healing) that we have experienced but so many other promises are beyond our current experience. What if we prayed with importunity that God would give us these experiences? Would that guarantee us the experiences? Not necessarily! Why? Because these are available to us as normal experiences in the next dimension but are not available in this lower dimension. Praying for the experience is getting the cart before the horse. Getting “in Christ” where these experiences are normal is the first priority. Then “the prayer” is answered automatically because in that dimension the promise is normal and active.

At the same time that Jesus along with Peter, James and John were on the mount of transfiguration experiencing something of eternity, the other disciples were in the valley arguing about which one was greatest when they couldn’t even cast out a demon. This is an example of two dimensions of revelation occurring at the same time among the same group of 12 disciples. This also explains the diversity of understanding within the same assembly.

If we apply this concept of other dimensions to the doctrine of the overcomer is it possible that “the overcomer” is just a believer that has taken up his position “in Christ”. A position that has escaped the under-comer. The overcomer then is just normal while the under-comer is sub-normal. The experience of Adam and Eve in Gen 2 is normal. Walking and talking with God and having dominion over all of God’s creation is normal. What followed the fall was sub-normal! We have accepted the sub-normal as normal and declared the normal to be fanatical.

When Jesus commanded the fish to bring money to pay taxes this was normal for Adam who had dominion over the fish of the sea. In our sub-normal outlook this would seem fanatical. Did Jesus do that as “the Son of God” or as the “son of man?” Did He walk on the water as the “Son of God” or as the “son of man?” Did He feed the 5000 as the “Son of God” or as the “son of man?” If He did it as the “Son of God” why did He tell His disciples to give the multitude food since they were merely the “sons of men?”

There are 83 references to “the son of man” in the New Testament referring to Jesus. There are 43 references to the “Son of God” in the New Testament. Over and over He said “the son of man” must do these things. The reason is because He is the “last Adam” and “the second man” and He must fulfill all that was purposed for Adam and mankind to complete. As the son of man and not as the Son of God. As the Son of God He also had certain things to fulfill that could not be fulfilled by the son of man. The Son of God operated in one realm while the son of man operated in another. What He did as “the son of man” is normal for us during the church age because we are “the sons of men” becoming the “sons of God”.

While this may seem to be just another mysticism that becomes an entity of it’s own this “mysticism” must then lead us into the truth that is God, Himself. If it doesn’t then it is wrong and a deception. When truth suffers so do we! For example; There are hundreds of religions in the world and new ones being invented each year. Not all are true and we cannot fall into a pattern of tolerance toward them or we deviate from the absolute truth that Christ is. THE TRUTH cannot be sacrificed just so we can “get along” peacefully with all men. If there is one absolute TRUTH that is Christ, Himself, then all other religions are false. That is the position that we must take as Christians. That is fanatical from the human viewpoint but from the dimension that is Christ it is the only possibility. Christ is not a philosophy that will adjust to various cultures and religions. He is absolute TRUTH.

This is either absolute TRUTH or the rambling of a mad man. I am the way is totally exclusive and eliminates every other way! I am the truth is totally exclusive and eliminates every opposite “truth”! I am the life is totally exclusive and eliminates every other so called access to God, the Father. We can accept it or reject it but we cannot change it and eventually everyone must deal with this TRUTH. No other religion can fit into this narrow way and so they eliminate themselves from the truth. In this simple statement Jesus Christ challenges every religion on the face of the earth in all ages. Jesus Christ IS THE EXCLUSIVE WAY TO GOD, THE FATHER! This means there IS NO OTHER! If we preach this message with conviction we will offend every other religion that hears us. If we preach the rest of the message of the Kingdom of God we will offend those that have no religion but insist they are free to do as they please and ignore the laws of God..

I have just used these three realms or dimensions in order to not confuse the issues we are dealing with. There may be many realms above these! All the unsaved people of the earth are “members” of realm “A”. The greatest majority of the “born-again” church is in Realm “B”. Jesus lived and ministered out of Realm “C”. Each realm has little knowledge or understanding of the realm above it and so declares that realm to be fanatical, unreasonable and illogical and extreme.

Many theologians who are living in Realm “B” declare the scriptures referring to the experiences of Realm “C” to have passed away and no longer valid.. They accept their experience and understanding as “NORMAL” and the realms below “SUBNORMAL”. To them anyone who believes in the realm above is ignorant or deceived.

The most dissatisfaction in the church today is among those who have been in REALM “B” for a few years but know there is more. However, since the consensus is that anything “more” is fanatical and deceptive there sets in a tremendous frustration. Part of my frustration is in not knowing why I am frustrated and dissatisfied.

Our CALL by God into His eternal purpose is the “upward call”. Another translation calls this “The ascending call”. Our “call”is to continue to ascend step by step or realm by realm until we arrive at His eternal purpose. The best graphic that we have that explains these various ascending steps is the Tabernacle of Moses. In this “picture” of eternal things there are at least 7 outer court experiences plus various Holy Place experiences. The Incense Altar represents various experiences that now involve the Most Holy Place.

Each of these “experiences” represent the ascending call and involve various realms within the two realms ( “B” & “C” ) mentioned. Each realm has a different dimension of prayer that goes with it. A different dimension of ministry and a different dimension of fellowship and a different realm or dimension of faith and a different revelation connected to it. Also different scriptures become real to illuminate that dimension of function. Each realm presents a different dimension of ministry.

This is one of the problems that Benny Hinn has with those who are in a dimension below where he is ministering. It is difficult for them to accept his ministry because it is not the realm they consider “normal”. Still, to Benny Hinn his ministry seems normal and other ministries likely seem subnormal.

The condition of a person’s heart I think is the ONLY limit that keeps us bound to one realm. The pure in heart will “ascend” very rapidly. The problem is in submitting to the process of purifying our hearts which is painful and sometimes humiliating. Stagnating in one realm is the great enemy of overcoming. However, if our revelation IS the ascending call then whatever it costs we will be willing to pay.

Great men of faith think differently than the majority in their generation. They obviously think from a higher dimension than the “normal” believer. It has been said that we should speak faith until we have the faith to speak faith. In other words we should speak faith even if we don’t seem to have faith and in so doing we will develop faith so we can then speak real faith from our hearts. I’m not sure how scriptural that is but I think many ministries are using that technique to con the crowd. We could say just start prophesying whatever comes to your mind until the real gift arrives. This appears to be more flesh than spirit but is justified because everybody must start someplace. The thought is this; Just start preaching until you are actually called to preach. Something seems wrong with this concept. Start prophesying until the gift arrives. Start casting out demons until you get an anointing to cast out demons. Start healing the sick until you can actually get the sick healed. In other words if we go ahead and begin, sooner or later God will show up and do the work. This all has the feeling of twisting God’s arm to get Him to move outside of His call, anointing and grace.

On the other hand we know that everyone has been given a measure of faith but if we don’t use it the “increase” will be slow coming. We, as believers, are all called to preach the gospel, cast out demons and heal the sick and speak with new tongues. This seems to be a universal call but how do we get started? Do we just begin and hope for the results? The fact is that if we never begin we will never see any results and no ministry will develop.

There obviously must be a balance in all this somewhere. A general, uncertain consecration, a half way commitment, some abstract surrender of our life to serve God, some undefined “ministry” and some religious sentimentalism does not impress God. “Doing the will of God” has something definite about it and “following the Lord” has a certain risk factor in it.

When do we just accept the general call of God and step out to do that much in confidence that if God called us He will also make provision to complete the work. It seems we need to discern the general call for all believers and the specific call for each believer. Too many are waiting for the “specific call“ and ignoring the general call and becoming confused. If we ARE faithful in the small things” (the general call) God will promote you in due season. If we don’t begin someplace God can’t promote us. He can’t promote the one who sits idly by in the time of harvest.

Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, [7] Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, [8] Prepares her food in the summer, And gathers her provision in the harvest. [9] How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? [10] "A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest"-- [11] And your poverty will come in like a vagabond, And your need like an armed man

This seems to be the actual experience of much of the church that is living in spiritual poverty. The rational is this: God has NOT told me to do anything so I’m not doing anything. The fact is the Word is full of necessary things to do but unless we begin with these small things “the big ministry” will just remain a dream.

The ant is a self starter and the son who rests in the day of harvest does not impress God. Even though Jesus didn’t begin His ministry until He was about 30, He was still about His Father’s business when He was 12. He was preparing for 30 years to finish doing the will of God.

The balance seems to be to get busy doing what God has called us all to do and begin to serve others. Don’t expect a specific call until you have proved your willingness to serve. Complete your apprenticeship training and be faithful in the small things because God is a God of promotion. He will not promote those who are lazy but looks upon them as shameful. The overcomer will overcome “in their call” and be found faithful.

People ask me when did God call you? I answer “I was called from the foundation of the world but I began sharing the scriptures before I knew that truth or knew there was a specific call upon my life”. I studied the scriptures without any thought of being a pastor and a ministry just developed. In short I shared the scriptures until I had an understanding of the scriptures that I shared. I began and the rest followed. Now I know it was God’s call but then I knew nothing. I was faithful in the small things and a ministry developed. Those who wait to be knocked off a horse or hear an audible voice before they step out to serve and give themselves to preparation will just sit idle in the day of harvest and try to appear before God empty handed .

EXO 23:15] "You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover); for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt AND none shall appear before Me empty-handed. [16] "Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest (Pentecost) of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering (Tabernacles) at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. [17] "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

If all believers just knew and understood this truth it would revolutionize the church. Each believer that will appear before God must bring the first fruits of his harvest of what he planted in his field and NONE can appear before God “EMPTY HANDED”. The sluggards that rested in the day of harvest will have a big surprise on that great day. Those who think they will just quickly fill their hands by picking some wild flowers on the way up, will not be on the way up.