THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR GOD.
"But the people who know their God will display strength and take action." (Daniel 11:32) As a student of human nature, I have always been intrigued at the vast differences in how certain people react in crisis. Any time that crisis comes to a group of people, there are those that will complain bitterly, and look for someone to blame for their problem. There are those whose first reaction is to make a run for it. Others go into denial and refuse to acknowledge that there is a crisis.
Some are highly developed in suffering, and maximize the situation, exploiting it for its 'sympathy value.' And there are those, thank God, who when faced with a crisis, display strength and take action.
Now I know that in truth all that the crisis is doing is exposing certain character strengths and weaknesses. And these in turn reveal our belief system - what we believe about ourselves, about God, about the enemy.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.' (Hosea 4:6) What we believe is based on what we think we know. And pride becomes the guardian over our wrong beliefs and self deceptions. Ed Cole defines 'religion' as "man's rationalization to justify their failures - if you accept their rationalization, you participate in their failures." That is why I am not into doctrinal arguments etc.
More often than not what you are up against is not just wrong believing or wrong teaching, but a defensive wall that person has thrown up to avoid acknowledging the truth, and taking responsibilty for themselves. I am only interested in teaching and preaching to 'those who have ears to hear.'
Jesus said: "If you continue in my word, then you will be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Jn 8:31&32) It is not just the truth, but knowing the truth that shall set you free. It follows then, that if there is an area in my life, or a situation or circumstance, that I am not free in, then obviously I don't know the truth about that situation.
There are different levels of knowledge. The Greek of the N.T. uses different words to express this: Gnosis, meaning knowledge, and epignosis, meaning higher knowledge (literally 'upon' knowledge.) In Ephesians 1:17 where Paul prays that "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him," he uses the word for higher knowledge. You may have a reasonable memory, so that having heard the word preached, or reading it, you know it. You remember basically what it says.
Then it's very easy to switch off. I remember once after I had finished preaching a guy came up to me and said: "I've heard all that before." He was looking for some 'new truth,' while I was giving him an opportunity to 'continue in the truth.' You may think you know it, but there's a lot more work to be done before it becomes revelation to you. Before the truth sets you free, and with the revelation comes the manifestation. Continuing in the word requires discipline and diligence. ('then you shall be my disciples - disciplined ones - indeed.') Because you have heard it before, it can lose its 'entertainment value.' I see many people grow lukewarm. When they first heard the good word of Faith, they were excited and hungry. Many of them were desperate. They hungrily listened to the word, read books, listened to tapes etc. The word began to work in their lives. And set them free from their desperate |
circumstances. Then they were able to get comfortable. And they had been 'round the block' once, so-to-speak. Heard all the great Bible truths at least once. Their flesh starts to get bored, and the desperation factor is no longer there to motivate them.
As there are different levels of knowledge, so there are also different levels of truth. There is what they call 'temporal' truth. That is the 'here and now' truth based on the current situation or circumstances. It is called temporal, because it's subject to change. Then there is the Eternal Truth. It is based on God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. It comes from His Word, and is not subject to change, because God never changes. It deals with your position in Christ Jesus, and your standing in the Kingdom of God.
Lets take your healing for example. If we look at your body the situation may be that you have symptoms.. Perhaps the doctor has said: "You have this wrong with you.." and he was speaking the truth. Then we look at God's Word and He says: "..by whose stripes you were healed."(1Peter 2:24) Here we have a decision to make. Who are we going to believe? If we don't know the word it's a forgone conclusion. No decision, we just go with the flow, because that's the way it is. We have no 'epignosis,' no higher knowledge.
If we know what the word says, but haven't 'continued' in it, we will still give the temporal truth the highest level of authority, because that is our highest reality. We haven't soaked in that truth until it changes our understanding.
It is only when we continue in the Word until it becomes the highest reality,
the highest authority - more real than what we can see or feel - that the truth of the word will set us free. Then the decision is automatic - "Let God be true, and every man, symptom or circumstance a liar."
The first two - the person that doesn't know, and the person that doesn't continue, will surrender to the circumstances. And they will continue in the problem, meditating it and speaking about it. The person that continues in the word will be a person that knows their God. They will display strength and take action. Because they know the truth that by His stripes they were healed, because they have made it their highest reality, they will automatically react against symptoms to the contrary. They will continue in the word, and speak only what God says about their situation.
This is the truth in a nutshell. You have heard it now, there's no getting away from it. If you are in captivity, if you are perishing in any area it is because you have a lack of knowledge of God, what He has to say, and what He has already done about it on your behalf. Not ordinary knowledge, but epignosis.
Revelation knowledge. Which means humbling yourself, becoming teachable, and soaking in it until the eyes of your understanding are enlightened. The only way you are going to do that is to develop a hunger for the word. Your desire will always be toward that which you give the most attention to. You can develop good habits the same way as bad habits. Break through the spiritual babyhood need for entertainment and discipline yourself to get into the word. You will become addicted to the word. When the Word is being preached and taught, you will make it a priority to be there. Remember, it's not some dry book, not just facts and information that you are seeking. It is truth that will make you free! It is the knowledge of God. So that you will be strong, and take action!
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