Category Archives: Extra Thoughts

Promise Verses For Faith

This is a list of promise verses that I almost daily go over to help direct my mind on faith and not sight. I am continually reminding myself the gospel is God’s love and provision for me. I do not give to God; God gives to me. I am constantly removing choke points of faith and limitations in my mind. I want to expand my vision to see all the good things available to me, in this life, and not just the next. I usually use an text to audio read to listen to them.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, (Romans 2:2). Put on the new man, who is renewed in the knowledge of Jesus who created you (Colossians 3:10). Happy is the man who thinks upon God’s Word day and night (Psalm 1:2). Think about Christ, where He is at God’s righthand, because God has already declared you a Son and an heir; and Yahweh, with unstoppable power, has already caused your life to be hidden there with Christ. (Colossians 3:2-3, Romans 8:17).  

Psalm 103.  
Bless Yahweh, O my soul;  

And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless Yahweh, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:  Who forgives all your iniquities,  Who heals all your diseases,  Who redeems your life from destruction,  Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,  Who satisfies you with good things,  So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  

James chapter 5.
The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 

 Romans 10:6–8.
But the righteousness from faith speaks like this: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down),  or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).  But what does it say? “The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).

Romans 6:14, Sin has no power over you, because you are not under the law; rather, you are now under, God’s unmerited favor [and limitless love].

 2 Corinthians 9:8, And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. AMP

For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied). 2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus tells us there will be trouble, but to cheer up, because He has defeated the world for you (John 16:33). He tells us that if we ask anything in His name that He will do it so that the Father will be Glorified, Jesus also tells us it is the Father’s will that we bear much fruit, and in context this include asking and obtaining what we ask for,—it is a command, (John 14:13,14 and John 15:7, 8). Jesus says He has left us his peace (John 14:27). 

The Bible says God is for us, and no one can be against us, (Romans 8:31). We are told that Jesus –the author of our faith– is sanctifying us whom He has already Perfected, once and for all, (Hebrews 10:14 ). That, on the account of the blood of Jesus, the Father has declared us righteous in His sight, (Roman 5:1,9).  That where there is forgiveness of sin, there is no more sacrifice for sin, (Hebrews 10:18). That because we have been adopted and are sons of God, the Holy Spirit has been sent into our souls and makes us cry out, “Dear, Father,” (Galatians 4:6).  There is no fear in God’s perfect love for us through Christ, which gives us bold confidence in God’s throne room, in the day of Judgment, (1 John 4:17-18). That God who is the only judge and law giver, is the one who already declared us righteous and declared beloved; and, Jesus is right now at God’s right hand interceding for us, ( Romans 8:32 )

That because we are already sons, we are thus already heirs of God through Jesus, (Galatians 4:5-7).  That, we have been seated in the heavenly places, at the right hand of God with Christ, (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1). That we are coheirs with Jesus Christ, (Romans 8:17). That we are a new creation, and that all things have become new, (2 Corinthians 5:17). That we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, (2 Corinthians 5:21).  That by the one man, Jesus Christ, God has recreated us in new realities and ontologies, so that, by the free gift of righteousness and the gift of abundant grace, we have justification of life, we have victorious life and eternal life by the power of Spirit, (Romans 5:15-21).

God promises us to always provide a way of escape from every temptation, (1 Corinthians 10:13). That Jesus has destroyed the works of Satan, and demolished the power of death and smashed the power of fear, by becoming a human atonement, in our place, before the Father (1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14-15). That, Jesus author of our faith, is able to heal broken limbs, and rewrite besetting sins into stories of victory, (Hebrews 12:1-2). That in face of fighting sin, Jesus commands us, to not let our hearts be troubled, but rather, to believe in Him and the Father, and to remember that He is preparing a room for us in Yahweh’s house, (John 14:1-3). That, the law of the Spirit of Life, has freed me from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). That the Father has delivered us from the power of darkness, and He has conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, (Colossians 1:13). That greater is Jesus who is in you, than he who is in the world, (1 John 4:4).  That All those Father by God are kept by Him and the Evil one does not touch them ( 1 John 5:18 )

The Bible says that you have the power to renew your mind in the knowledge of Christ, (Ephesians 4:24). That you have the power to make the devil flee from you, (James 4:7). That your mind and life gets stronger as you trust more and more in God’s policy of thought and action of favor to you, (Ephesians 3:16-19).

 That when Satan says, “did God really say,” from any foreign epistemology, that with a single shield of faith, we are able to stop every arrow of temptation and every deception from Satan, (Ephesians 6:16). The whole armor of God is already ours, we are already wearing it. That we are able to destroy every thought, and every argument raised against the knowledge of God, (2 Corinthians 10:5).  That to think any ethic or ought, and or, to use any logic or intelligence, we must presuppose God’s written law on our hearts and His revelation; however, we cannot do this without dealing with the whole Scripture that says only it is true and all others are false, (Romans 2:15, and Romans 1:18, 1:20). This scripture we are already presupposing tells me I am already the righteousness of God, already declared to be God’s Son and beloved by Him for victory.

When the fire has burnt away the works of straw, then, whatever silver, gold and precious stones remain, will endure with you for eternity (1 Corinthians 3:12). God is your Helper, so be courageous and never be afraid, ( Psalm 118:6, Hebrews 13:6).  That, God will not forsake you; He will be with you for victory, whether it is spiritual, mental, demonic or physical troubles, ( Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5). That, whoever is born again by God’s Spirit, so that they have faith, are those who overcome all things; indeed; they are victorious over the world, with all its troubles, (1 John 4:4-5).

That we receive the Holy Spirit, miracles and the endless fountain of blessings from Abraham, by faith in Jesus, (Galatians 3:2,5; 4:29). That if you will abide in him, and if his word abides in you, you will ask what you want, and whatever you ask will be done for you, (John 15:7). That if you have faith, you can command a mountain to throw itself into the sea, and it will obey you, (Matthew 21:21). That if you ask for anything in prayer, if you believe that you receive it, you will get it, (Mark 11:24). That we commanded to pray and never give up, because we will have what we as for, (Luke 18:1-6). That it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, (Luke 12:32). That if you ask, you will receive, and if you seek, you will find, (Matthew 7:7). That God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him, (Hebrews 11:6). That, all things are yours through Jesus Christ, (1 Corinthians 3:22-23). That we can approach the throne of grace, for help in time of need, before our High Priest and our Father, (Hebrews 4:16). That Jesus is our Priest who already bore our stripes for our healing, and He has already bore our sickness and pain on the cross, so that the healing is already ours, (Matthew 8:17).

That the Father has qualified us to be partakers of the rich inheritance of the saints, (Colossians 1:12). That when we ask for a fish we receive a fish, and not something else because God is our Good Father; and, when we ask for a son, we get son, and when we ask for healing, we get healing, and when we ask for an enlarged tent, we get an enlarged tent, and when we ask for the powers of God’s Spirit we receive God’s power and not something else, because God is our Good Father, ( Luke 11:11). That because God did not spare His Son in order to save us, the Father will much more freely give us all things through His Son, (Romans 8:31); and on and on and on. Look at all those extra baskets, left over!

Therefore, Maturity is not you giving to God, but rather, as sons, receiving from God all His endless, awesome blessings, (1 Corinthians 2:6-12). Maturity is having the strength of soul, to not merely leave the pig pin and go to ask forgiveness; but rather, by God’s Spirit, to have the power of mind to receive the signet ring, and receive the BEST robe, and receive the sandals from the Father, and then march into the house with joy, with your head held high, because you belong there like a son, like a prince (Luke 15:22-23).

That, we are commanded to cast all our cares upon our Father in heaven, because he cares for us so much, (1 Peter 5:7). Because our life is already hidden with Jesus Christ, who sits in God’s presence, at His right hand, therefore, our thoughts are to be constantly there, with Yahweh and our beloved Lord, (Colossians 3:2-3).  That, just as Jesus is at God’s mighty right hand, so are we now, hidden and seated with Him there, even while we are in this world, ( 1 John 4:17 ). That, we are commanded to use our reconciliation and our bold access to Yahweh’s throne room, by constantly opening the doors to our Father’s throne room and seeking His face for all the things and help we need, and by this, we fulfill the command to love God with all our souls, (Hebrews 10:19-22).

It is both a direct promise of God and a revealing of His Divine immutable nature that He forgives all our sins, He heals all your diseases, He delivers you, and He crowns you with kindness and goodness (Psalm 103 and James 5). Therefore, as many as are the promises of God, in Jesus they are “yes”; therefore, also through Him, is the “Amen,” to the glory of God through us. (2 Corinthians 1:20.)

God is the source of all knowledge. God controls all metaphysics and ontology. God is the only lawgiver. God is the only one who gives definitions to His own creation. The Logos continues to uphold His creation faithfully in His definitions of it. Thus, why is it a correct definition that all people, born after Adam, were born created with a sinful nature and death, when they did not do the sin themselves? Because God thinks so. Why is it a correct definition that sinful people are credited with Christ’s righteousness, life, health, wealth and inheritance, when they did not do it themselves? Because God thinks so. Why is it correct for God’s adopted children, to have the privilege to ask for anything and then get this anything they desire from Almighty God, from the LORD of Angel Armies? Because God thinks so. Why is it a correct definition that adopted children have bold access to the very throne room of heaven, to the only Immortal, Invisible King of Ages, to ask for help and ask for blessings? Because this Eternal Lord of Ages think so. Why is mercy defined as both a spiritual help, and as a natural help of “double health and wealth”? Because God thinks so. Why is it correct, that God’s children have all their sicknesses and diseases taken away? Because God thinks so, and He has written this definition in stripes upon the back of His only Son.

Think about it, why does a tree today still ontologically behave in the category of a tree? Because God thinks so. God is faithful with His revealed definitions about His creation. God has defined us in the category of co-heirs with Christ, as part of Christ’s body. This has irrevocable metaphysical properties. Set your mind on how God defines the world. Think how God defines you in Christ. This is the essence of faith. It is the essence of maturity and of a renewed mind. It is the essence of spiritual warfare. It is not about how you think or feel about such things; you simply agree with how God defines you and all things; think about this point of view day and night. See the world from the top of mount Zion with your Father. From up here above the clouds, it is total victory and triumph over the world. The Father as given you the world and all things in Christ.

How Does Jesus Apply Predestination ?

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you,” (John 15:16).

Jesus is talking in the topic of election and predestination. We did not choose Him; rather, He chose us (Romans 9-11).

What is interesting, (as, Vincent Cheung, points out in “Predestination and Miracles”) is how Jesus applies the doctrine of election and predestination. Jesus’ application of God’s sovereign predestination is not how most apply it. In fact, Jesus, the most God centered man who ever lived, applies God’s predestination in the opposite way most apply God’s sovereignty. Those who champion themselves as experts on God’s predestination when they are in context of prayer apply it by saying, “you can pray, but based on the Father’s choice, He might or might not grant it.” Jesus does the exact opposite of this. He says, God chose you, or that is “predestined you so that you can ask whatever you want, and the Father will give it to you.”

Why does Jesus and the self-appointed experts on God’s predestination say the opposite? Who is wrong, and who is right? And if Jesus is right, then be free to use God’s predestination and election to embolden you to pray and get whatever you ask for. Let Jesus’ teaching on God’s sovereignty be an encouragement to build faith and grant your request. Mark those who contradict Jesus’ application of predestination as servants of the faithless and remove them from your life.

Did not Enter God’s Rest, Because they disbelieved in Health and Wealth.

Hebrews 3 says that it was their unbelief that stopped them from entering the Promise Land.  God did the saving and brought them out of sin and slavery under the Egyptians. This is mirrored with Jesus saving us from our sin and death. They did nothing when God did this, and we did nothing when Jesus saved us. But when they were baptized in the Jordon, God put a sword in their hands and said, “you do it.” God would empower them, but they had to step out in faith and do it themselves. God promised them milk and honey, or health and wealth, but they would have to use their hands to grab it. These good promises are just a continuation of the blessing of Abraham, which God promised. God promised fruitfulness, power, health and wealth, among other things to Abraham and his descendants. However, this became a choking point for the Israelites’ faith. They refused to believe God was able to strengthen them to conquer the Promise Land. Hebrews said they did not mix faith with God’s promise. God cursed them and let their bodies litter the desert for 40 years.

They had enough faith to cross over the red sea on dry land. They had enough faith, if just barely, to let God save them from slavery and let His wrath pass over them, as it destroyed their slave masters. This is like having some faith that Jesus forgives and delivers. However, when God wanted to empower them to be blessed with the riches of milk and honey from the Promise Land, they had no faith. Being empowered and receiving good things was a choke point for them, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. It is this unbelief in God empowering them to receive good things, like health and wealth and military power, that Hebrews 3 says because of unbelief they did not enter God’s rest. It was not unbelief in God saving them from slavery, which disallowed them from entering God’s rest. No. Not until they could believe God would empower them and enrich them with health and wealth, would it qualify them to enter God’s rest. Hebrews said God was “angry” against them and so He killed them. We are warned not to repeat their mistake.

The same is today. Their baptism into the Jordon is mirrored with us being baptized in the Spirit for power. (See Vincent Cheung, “The Edge of Glory,” who helped me understand this.) The preacher of Hebrews is using Israels’ example in connection to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Having some faith that Jesus forgives is not enough, if you disbelieve God empowers you to expand His kingdom and empowers you with things such as health and wealth, which are part of the blessing of Abraham. As with the ancient Israelites, their faith in God to save them, was proven to be half-baked, when they could not believe God would empower them to receive good material blessings. God was angry with them and disregarded them by not allowing them to enter His rest. The same is for “Today.” People expose their faith as half-baked if they refuse the baptism of the Spirit and refuse to believe God for material good things. God will not allow such people to enter His rest.  

The warning about “not mixed with faith,” was about faith for God to empower “them” with strength and material blessings. It is this connection the writer of Hebrews warns us is the type of unbelief that will keep you from Gods rest. Most would not preach the gospel in this way, but it is scripture. It does not say, “they did not have faith in God’s promise to pass His wrath over them, so they refused to put the blood on the door. Thus they are not saved, and will not enter God’s rest.” This is true as far as it goes, but it is not the gospel which Hebrews is preaching. It says they did not enter God’s rest because they disbelieved God’s promises of power and blessings. This is the gospel which Hebrews preaches.

They did not enter God’s rest because they did not believe God’s promise of health and wealth. This is precisely the warning from Hebrews chapter 3. We are warned that “Today,” the promise still stands to enter God’s rest, therefore, do not disbelieve God’s promises for power, health and wealth.  

Children of Abraham act like their father, and imposters lack the faith to do so. It is not as though Abraham believed God declared him righteous, but disbelieved God to make him famous, give him miracle health and excessive wealth. Yet, this is the so-called gospel that some preach; a gospel of only believing you are righteous, without the miracles of power, health and wealth. This half gospel caused the Israelites to be discarded by God by rejecting them from entering His rest. This half-gospel was not preached to Abraham, not preached by the prophets (Isaiah 53:4-5), not preached by the Apostles (James 5:15, Acts 2), and not preached by Jesus Christ (Matthew 21:21). Those who are children of Abraham have faith to believe the gospel preached to Abraham, not just the righteousness part. Either you have Abraham’s faith or you do not.  By not believing in God’s promise for power, health and wealth, the Israelites exposed themselves not to be children of Abraham, and people today are also exposing themselves as the same.

Because faith is what kept the Israelites out, guess what Satan is focused on attacking? He attacks faith to believe God’s good promises of power, health and wealth, which is what will cause them to enter God’s rest. Guess who is attacking such doctrine today? Whose side are they on? If they fight to keep people from entering God’s rest, how are they not servants of the Faithless One?

Jesus Was our Money Substitute

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corin.5:21 LEB).

“Though (Jesus) was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” (2 Corin. 8:9 NLT).

The context of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 is about money. Paul wants the Corinthians to give money so that Paul can give the money to other Christians. Paul even encourages them by saying, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others(9:8).” God will provide you with enough money for yourself and even with extra money left over so that you can give money to others. So simple and a child and understand this.

In this context Paul says, Jesus became poor FOR US, so that by His poverty we become rich. Poverty and wealth both deal with money directly, and the context is about giving money to Paul so that Paul can give the money to others. The only way to say this is not about money is to be delusional and unrighteous.

As is always the case, if you try to kill God’s promises, you end up pointing the shotgun at your own face. When you try to kill God’s promises, you cannot do it, without destroying your own salvation and spitting on the blood of Jesus Christ.

The idea of substitution is that someone takes my place for something. Notice this is the same apostle Paul, in the same Epistle, using the same substitutionary language for both sin and righteousness (chapter 5) and poverty and wealth (chapter 8).

That is, if Jesus being my poverty in exchange to give me His wealth is ineffective, or is not a substitutionary atonement, then Jesus being my sin to give me His righteousness is also in effective and cannot be a substitutionary atonement. Paul’s description of substitutionary atonement is the same for both instances and so neither can be separated from substitutionary atonement without destroying the other.

If you deny Jesus was a money substitution then you logically deny Jesus was a sin substitute. It is futile to attack the promises of wealth, if you must destroy your salvation and trample the blood of Christ in the process. 

Faith is What God has Done for Us

The definition of faith is a mental assent to God’s word.

With this being understood, we can define faith in context of the gospel already finished and the promises therein. In the finished atonement, I am already forgiven, and I am already healed, and I already have the blessing of Abraham, and my poverty has already been taken away. This was done by God’s work and has already been given to me as grace. I don’t beg God to do something to forgive me, because I am already forgiven. I do not beg and ask God to do something to heal me, because Jesus already carried my sickness away and by His stripes, I was healed. I assent to these truths and thank God for them.

When you ask God to forgive you and you thought you needed to provided something, or be sinless for a particular period of time and needed to pray in perfection, then no one would be forgiven. This misses the entire point of Jesus’ finished atonement. It is already done, and you already have these benefits. There is no begging, or gimmicks, its already yours.

Thus, I do not need perfection or need to pray in perfection, to cause God to forgive me, because Jesus already lived perfectly in my place and prayed perfectly for me as high priest. The whole point of the substitutionary atonement and unmerited favor, is that Jesus does this for you, you simply believe it. The same with healing. You do not need to act in sinlessness for 4 and a half days and then pray in perfected faith to get healed, because Jesus already carried your sickness to the cross, and already exchanged stripes for your healing. Faith believes this. That is it.

For example: Faith is not my love to God, but God’s love to me.

Faith is not me doing something for God, but God having already done something for me.

Faith is not me earing forgiveness by my actions and perfected prayers, but Jesus having already forgiven me by His atonement.

Faith is not me earning God’s favor to get healed, rather, faith is that Jesus has already earned my healing by His stripes.

I remember Andrew Wommack giving the example of Adam in the Garden and how God already provided them food. When God created the garden, God had already provided the food. Adam did not need to ask or beg God to give him food, for God had already provided it. How insane would it be for Adam to beg God for food surrounded by fruit? But this is how many relate to God, when they do not believe what He has already given us in Jesus Christ. This is how it is with forgiveness, healing and Abraham’s blessing. God does not peel the banana and then shove it down Adam’s throat. God as already provided the food, but Adam has to reach his hand to grab a cherry and eat it. Adam does not do something to earn a pear, it has already been given to him. This is the same with gospel benefits and faith. Faith grabs hold what is already been provided.

This benefits are like a person who was born without hands and God heals them so that they have arms and hands. Faith, is the person using theirs hands to grab and use them in normal activities. Many beg God to do something when they already have new hands but do not realize they have them.

I heard Andrew Wommack define faith as, “our positive response to what God has already done.” If this is used as the foundation definition for faith, then it is wrong. Faith is simply a mental assent to God’s truth. Andrews’ definition is a subcategory and narrow definition of faith, when applied to believing the finished benefits of the atonement. It is more like a combination of faith and the correct work or response to God’s given gospel benefits. In the context of Jesus’s power, authority and healing having already been given to us, our positive response is to believe God and then command the demon or sickness or mountain to get out. Our response is to grab the pear and eat.

A Word of Wisdom Or Starve

There was a famine during David’s reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the Lord about it.
And the Lord said, “The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites.”
(2 Samuel 21:1 NLT)

There was a famine for 3 years. I am speculating, but I imagine David was not idle for 3 years as his subjects suffered and starved. I assume he confessed God’s goodness and faithfulness to help and sung praise to God. However, without any deliverance David must have realized something was wrong and sought God for an answer.  Some fools, would treat their circumstances like pagan fatalists, by saying “this is God’s will that we suffer and so we will just endure as long as it takes.” God commands us to do the opposite. We are commanded to dominate our circumstances, not be dominated by them. Therefore, David sought God for wisdom and understanding to cause the bad circumstances of famine to stop. God answered him, by saying Israel was being punished for the sin that Saul had done by trying to genocide the Gibeonites.

This shows the importance for being Baptized in the Spirit, and filled with faith to move mountains. How could David possibly know it was this specific sin that was causing the famine without God speaking to David and giving him knowledge about it? The answer is David could not have figured this out by mere human observation and experience. Saul and, Israel as a whole, committed many sins, and so it would be almost impossible to figure which one caused the famine. There are times in our lives that we need to ask God for wisdom and then have God speak to us about the specific issue, otherwise, the famine will continue on and on and on. Without the spiritual power to hear God speak, then David and Israel would have kept starving. Without God’s Spirit speaking to you, then you starve. Life is often this way. This is why cessationism is so deadly, unloving and wicked.

This is why Moses said he wanted all of us to be Spirit filled and prophesy. This was fulfilled on Pentecost, when Jesus, sitting at the right hand of the Power, poured out the Spirit of power, for all those God has called to Himself.  This baptism of power is connected to Jesus sitting on His eternal throne, empowering the church according to the promise of the Father to the Son. Peter connects this to “to as many as God will call to Himself.” It as nothing to do with men or apostles, but Jesus, Jesus’ position on His throne and the Father’s faithfulness to Jesus, and the Father’s predestination to call the elect people to Himself.

This is why speaking in tongues is so important. It edifies the person doing it, and it often leads to interpretation, where the Spirit of God becomes your personal instructor.  There is no better combination than to ask God for wisdom (James chapter 1) and then pray in tongues asking God for an interpretation. Jesus could only give personal instruction to a few people at a time. This is why He said it was good for Him to leave so that the Spirit will arrive. In the baptism of the Spirit, Jesus is able to personally instruct all believers as if He was there with them.

The Christian life cannot be lived in power, maturity and fullness without the supernatural power and miracles from God. As in our above example, the power to receive a word from God is often the only way to solve a troublesome situation. Without God’s supernatural power you are doomed. But with it, you are more than conquerors. With God’s power you can dominate life; rather than the opposite.

I WAS Healed or I Will be Healed?

Abraham said, “I am the father of many nations,” and not “I will be the father of many nations.” Abraham’s confession was exactly what God promised and it was a contradiction to reality. Faith was stronger. He confessed he was already the father of nations before it was true. This is not a lie, because faith in God’s promise is both truthful and is a stronger power than reality.

Jesus’ exchange with the Sadducees, about the resurrection, showed Jesus pointing out a category fallacy with present tense and past tense. The scripture said God present tense, “I am the God of Abraham and Isaac,” even though they had died many years before. But the Sadducees’ presupposition was the passage was recorded in the different category of past tense, “I was the God of Abraham.” After this Jesus publicly shamed them and shut them up. This passage from Jesus shows us how important logic is; it shows us you cannot violate the laws of Contradiction and Identity and have category fallacies.

The importance of this is significant for faith. Faith is assenting to what God has said. You cannot assent to what God has said, if you change the tense of verbs, because then you change categories and thus change the meaning.

What if Abraham said, “I will be the father of many nations?” If he said it, then it would be a confession of unbelief in God’s promise not a faith confession.  Faith, as shown above, is only faith if it confesses what God said, it is not faith if it changes what God said.  Even such a small change, as a verb tense, Jesus shows that you are greatly mistaken about God’s word and power. One change to a verb tense and you have different doctrines. You cannot confess in faith, while being greatly mistaken about the word you are confessing.

Isaiah 53 says in the past tense that Jesus bore our sin, but also past tense bore our sickness and then present tense by His stripes we are healed.  There is no future tense. Regarding our sickness they have been and are healed.  Thus, Peter in his letter says, 1 Peter 2:24, that we were healed by His stripes.

This is why the faith teachers are correct when they teach you to confess, “By the stripes of Jesus I WAS, or I AM healed,” and not that I will be healed somewhere in the future.

Lastly consider Jesus’ teaching on faith itself.

“And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:21-24 NKJV)

Jesus teaches us that when we pray that we are to believe (past tense) that we have received what we asked for. He says if you believe that you (past tense) have received, then you will (future tense) receive them. As with the fig tree, they found it, the next day dried up from the roots. It took a day for the full 100-fold manifestation to appear. The presupposition for Jesus is that God’s promise to give us anything we ask for is a past or present tense application, and not future. Even if the answer appears to be delayed, the example of Daniel, shows us that it was answered the moment Daniel prayed, but was delayed by demonic attacks. Thus when you pray believe you have received what you ask for.

This does not mean we never say, “this will happen,” for in some context this would be appropriate, or that God never answers a prayer if the verb tense is wrong; however, we should always strive for perfection in our understanding of God’s promise and speaking it in the same. Faith is assenting to what God has promised, not category changes to it.

Think about Abraham and his confession of faith that he “is” the father of many nations before it happened. This is what faith does. The Israelites shouted and praised God for the defeat of Jericho, before the walls fell down. Faith gives a victory shout before it happens, because we know when we prayed it was answered.  Faith is the contradiction to what we see, but because faith gives us direct contact with God and His power, we know faith is stronger than reality. Because God is sovereignly faithful to fulfill His promise, we know when we ask, God has already given it to us.

Resurrection According The Scripture

Paul says in 1 Corinthian 15:4 that we know Jesus was resurrected because the Scripture says it. This is good reasoning. This is the best type of deductive logic. This is adhering to the laws of Contradiction, Identity and Excluded Middle in perfection. This is thinking like the LOGOS.

Anti-Christians often dislike this type of answer and find it unacceptable. They want you to say, “we know the resurrection is true because of some empirical evidence proves it.” This is of course delusional. Empirical evidence cannot prove any statement of reality because empiricism, observation and scientific experimentation make a triple logical fallacy. This foundation of knowledge makes knowledge impossible. It violates the law of contradiction because it makes knowledge skeptical; and it leads to skepticism, because empiricism, observation and experimentation are fallacious.  Any worldview that uses such a foundation for any knowledge is to be mocked and dismissed.

It is a good thing that resurrection is not proved by our sensations, observations or experimentation, because if it was then resurrection could never be proven. Since our sensations and observations cannot prove any statement of reality, such as water, rocks or trees, then it therefore cannot prove resurrection. Just because some fools use delusional means to interact with the world does not mean you are to follow this example, or compromise by making a bible and delusion into a hybrid. No, you expose how dumb their source of knowledge is and destroy it by logic and the scripture.

The only source of knowledge is God’s revelation. God’s word says there is resurrection and that Jesus was the first born from the dead. Just as He experienced physical resurrection, we also will experience a physical resurrection with a new body. What Jesus experienced we experience. This is God’s love and promise to us.

The Scripture and God are interchangeable, and therefore, Paul says Jesus was raised according to Scripture. We ought to have renewed our minds so that no truth statement about reality has any foundation in our senses, observation or experimentation. As Paul says, we live by faith not sight. This is why Paul says, (Acts 26:8) why should you think it incredible that God raised the dead?

Take Your Choke Points Off

“But Moses responded to the Lord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power?””
 (Numbers 11:21-23 NLT)

God told Moses that He would feed the Israelites with meat (Quail) for a whole month. Oddly, Moses’ response was that such a thing was impossible even for God. This is the same Moses who performed miracle after miracle and divided the sea with the Staff of God. This is Moses who, as God said it, was a God to Pharaoh. And yet, Moses could not believe God for this miracle food.

I remember Bill Winston in a sermon saying, (as I paraphrase from memory), “God had reached, Moses’ choke point. Moses could believe God for some things, but He could not believe God for this. Take your choke points, off.”

He is correct. Even the heroes of faith still have some choke points where they limit the Holy One of Israel.  No one has perfect faith in this life, but it is our command from God to always live by faith and mature our faith to its greatest heights.  Miracle food in large proportions, for some reason, was a choke point for Moses. It seemed impossible even for God. God rebuked Moses and said, is My arm to short that I cannot do this, or in modern terms, is My power so pathetic to you that I can’t do this miracle? Moses did not doubt God’s willingness to help but His power, and God rebuked Moses for this.

We often combat this abusive doctrine called, “if it is God’s will,” and so we say “God is always willing to help because of His love and because He promise to always provide if we have faith.” However, we can have choke points of doubt regarding God’s power. We might wrongly assume it is about the topic of God’s willingness, when it is really about doubting His power. We all have our own dispositions and weaknesses and strengths. And so it will vary from person to person what might be a choke point of faith. And I will try to use and example that might be more common to all. All Christians have faced those sins that more easily trip them up (Hebrews 12).  What can happen in a besetting sin, is that the experience can distort the mind to doubt God’s “power” to sanctify us.

If a person is blessed to have been ministered healing at their conversion, then asking God for healing would naturally be less of a choke point for them. However, they might find asking God for miracle money, or transmuting material substance to be a choke point of doubt.  Thus, we must find where we choke up with doubt and attack as if it was a cancer on our heart.

I remember Billy in response to Jesus’ statement that “anything is possible for the person who believes,” saying, “James and John asked for seats next to Jesus, but were told those were already reserved by the Father. Therefore, we don’t know if our prayers will be answered because God answers them on the dictates of His own whims.”

We know that apart from extreme examples that are categorically impossible, or violate a command that there are no limits to what we can ask for. Even a fool knows not to ask, “God, I want you to make me immutable and infinite like you, or help me murder my neighbor.” The prayers we see answered in scripture include resurrection from the dead, the multiplication and transmutation of material substance, healing, prosperity, military victory, relationship help, and the list goes on and on. Also, because we understand the blessing of Abraham (which we have in Jesus), which includes prosperity, supernatural health and healing, military victories, fame, glory and excessive fruitfulness in all parts of life, we know that Jesus command to ask for anything and get anything, means what it means.

Billy’s response to prayer, is an example of a person who doesn’t merely have a choke point or two, but who chokes at the entire idea of God helping and blessing them. This is a reprobate mindset. Such a person views God as if God is an outsider. They view God as if they have no Covenant with Him. The idea of Jesus’ Contract in blood, is to remove any “case by case” situation. For more on this see Vincent Cheung, Our Contract, who helped me understand this better. An insider status with God means that we always know how God will relate to us. An outsider status means we do not know how God will relate to us, because it is decided on the whim of God’s choice on a case by case. For example a husband does not decide to love his wife on a day by day decision; no, the contract of marriage means you have made a promise, to remove the case by case, and will always love them. God as removed the case by case, and has promised that if we have faith we will receive what we ask for. This love is only promised to those who God is contracted with. Outsiders of this contract do not have this privilege.

This contract therefore is able to remove all choke points for those with insiders status with God. We already know from the example of the gentile woman, that even without a contract status, faith gives you access to what you ask for. God has a standing contract with faith. However, in our Contract with Jesus, God cuts up His only Son in a bloody mess, and says “I will do what I promise.” There is no room for doubting.  

Removing our choke points is essential if we want to fully obey biblical expansionism in our lives. If we want maturity in expanding our own lives in righteousness and power and visions and expanding the Kingdom of God, we must remove any points of doubts. And doubt here is the key word. Jesus said if you have faith as small as a mustered seed you will command a mountain to move and it will obey you. Any Christian who has lived a few years and has been working on renewing their minds has more than a mustered seed size faith. The reason they do not see answers is because of doubts that gets mixed in with their faith. It is not that they have no faith, but the doubts mixed in is stopping the manifestation. The ins and outs for that, is for another essay; however, remember as you are attacking and removing doubts do not forget that the main focus is always Jesus and His promises, not constant inward self-evaluation.  

We must not put any limits on who we are in Christ and what we can accomplish by faith. Choke points can happen in places such as our vision for our lives. A Christian by faith might finally be out of debt and able to afford a nice home for his family. They even saw some miracles in finances where God helped. They are coasting, and life is good. However, when they were 17 God gave them a dream for ministry and a business that reaches millions of people, and this is still a choke point for them. Some might be enjoying a big house and a family that loves God. But God’s word reminds them if they had enough money to buy 10 big houses, they could give that to godly ministries to help fund the gospel, and for them this financial amount could be a choke point. If we take our eyes off ourselves and think what we could do for the advancement of God’s kingdom, there is always more power, finances and miracles than what we are currently able to do. But God is full of grace. If you seek to believe with no fear, you will find it.

Lastly, if you want to take off the limits and choke points, then you will need to say something with your mouth. Jesus said you will “say,” to this mountain.  Look at the heroes of faith, like Abraham and David. They spoke a confession of confidence in the promise of God. We believe and so we speak. Do not just look at a choke point, speak to it. Say something. Speak the promises of God. Your faith confession is like Moses with the Staff of God. Your staff is your confession in God’s word. Say it. Tell it to get out of your way. Tell the sickness to leave.  

I will let Paul end this with his own exhortation: God answers our prayers exceedingly, abundantly and beyond all that we ask or think. This is how an insider to God thinks about the world and what is available to them in Christ.

Use the Bible to Prove Atheism?

I saw an atheist respond on a post on social media saying,
“How can we know there is a God? Prove it. Not just using the Bible.”

I am not entirely sure if he means, “do not use the bible at all, or use the bible with other non-bible proofs.”

If taken the first way, then the equivalent for me to say the same thing back to him would be like this, “prove to me that evolution is true, but do not use your sensations (empiricism).” An atheist or evolutionist would not accept this because the knowledge of their worldview comes from empiricism.  Without using empiricism, then they have no knowledge about anything. Without their epistemology their worldview is without knowledge. Yet, they demand that we prove our Christian worldview without using the bible, which is the only source of our knowledge. Without the bible there is no knowledge for our worldview about any topic. The bible says that it alone is the source of knowledge (the bible even denies empiricism), and so if we use the bible we can only use the bible for knowledge. There is no dual epistemology in Christianity.

Thus, if meant the second way, then the bible would not allow us to use any other epistemology. Any other source of knowledge would be an anti-Christian source of knowledge. When the opponent is asking us to use other proofs for knowledge other than the Scripture, they are asking to deny the bible at the same time. If we do this, then we have already lost the debate because we have already denied our God and our worldview’s source of knowledge.

 Since the opponent is using empiricism as their source of knowledge, then what they likely mean by “proving Christian with non-biblical knowledge,” means they want us to use so-called empirical proofs for Christianity.  As just said, to do this, since the bible denies empiricism, means we deny Christianity if we use empiricism. Also, empiricism is logically irrational. To infer knowledge from sensation is a never-ending category fallacy. Observation is logically irrational. All conclusions from empiricism and observations are a non-sequitur fallacy. Thus, no matter how good you think your empirical proofs are, they can never logically prove God. Every conclusion from empiricism to God would be a non-sequitur fallacy. For example, the type of existence we sense and observe is not immutable and eternal. Thus, to conclude God’s type of existence from sensation is like saying “All cats are animals, therefore, rocks are yellow.”  The demand to use empirical proofs, is a demand to use a standard of knowledge, that cannot prove any statement about reality. Not only can empiricism not give proof for Christianity, but it also cannot give proof for what is the color red, what is a cloud or what is a rock. Also since Empiricism is irrational, then to hybrid it with the Scripture would be to hybrid the irrational with rational. It would discredit the bible as if the bible is ok with being irrational and stupid. Also what one senses and observes contradicts the bible, and so you have a dual epistemology that contradicts one another. This would make knowledge impossible.

To turn the tables, what if I made a similar demand on the atheist or agnostic by saying, “don’t only use empiricism to prove evolution, but use the bible to give proofs.” The bible obviously contradicts evolution, and many things about their worldview based on their sensations. They would not accept such a demand from me, because they do not accept the bible as a source of knowledge and they know it also contradicts their own worldview.  Likewise, we do not accept empiricism as a source of knowledge. If they want to demand we use their empiricism they need to prove that their epistemology makes knowledge possible. Do not let them bully you with their irrational demands. Rather attack their demands. Attack their standard of empiricism.