You ask me, “Why do we say, “Look to Jesus,” when it is God who is good, why not say, “Look to God?” In the first place we will have to see what God is. In John 4:24, Jesus said that “God is a Spirit.” In Luke’s Gospel, the angel said to Mary that she would be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and that this Holy Spirit would conceive within her. Because of this, the child should be called the “Son of God” (Luke 1:35). There are other places in the scriptures that testify to the fact of God being a Spirit, but these two will establish the thought. There is no way that physical man can “look to the Spirit,” because as the scriptures say in Romans 8:5, “They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.” It is necessary that there be a “touch point” between man and God. This touch point is Jesus Christ. In John 1:14, it says that “The Word,” (this Word is identified as God and is therefore according to Jesus a Spirit) “became flesh and dwelt among us.” We have “Christianity” because of this fact. This Spirit is what enables a man to be a new creature and Live like Christ. Christianity is not just that man can reform his life according to the principles of Jesus Christ, but that the very God of the Universe can Live in this body of flesh. The Epistle of John says that the Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, but if any Spirit confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God, but the Spirit of anti-Christ (the devil) dwells in him (1 John 4:3). You see, this was the hope of all ages, that the Spirit of God should indwell man. But it never happened until Jesus came. Righteousness is the only path to God. To be righteous one had to keep a righteous law. If righteousness could have come, it would have come by the law; but no man could keep this law even when they were as favored as the children of Israel. That’s why the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no not one.”--Rom. 3:10 Jesus came, “Not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it”--Matt. 5:17. That’s why He was righteous in the eyes of God and God indwelt Him and made Him the Christ (Acts 2:36). Jesus spoke the truth because God was in Him. One of the things He said was, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh to the Father but by me.”-- John 14:6 Because this is true, the hope of all mankind began to be realized. Here is one man, Jesus, who has what all men have hoped for--the Spirit of God dwelling within Him. No wonder all men look to Him. Nothing like this ever happened before. But the more important thing is this: That all judgment is now given to the Son. You can read about this in John 5:22. Jesus also said, “Even as the Father has power to give Life (Eternal Life) to whomsoever He pleases, so also the Son can give Life to whomsoever He pleases.”--John 5: 26. We have this Spirit of God because we believe in Jesus. We believe the Truth of what He said. We are not under the condemnation of judgment simply be¬cause we believe on the only begotten of the Father. That is Jesus who was made the Christ. Read about this in John 3:18. A Christian today can have the Spirit of God because Jesus prayed the Father to give us of this Spirit (John 14:16). The Bible tells us there is no other name given under heaven by which we might be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the one who intercedes with the Father on our behalf when we are overtaken by sin (1 John 2:1-2). So you see, we have a hope because of this Jesus, and that hope is secure because He has said that He will raise us up in the last day--that’s His job (John 6:39). He has authored our faith, and He has finished it. That’s why we can say with the Bible that we are looking to Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith (Heb. 12:2). I hope this will give you a better understanding of why I say what I say. I cannot answer for anyone else. This is what the Bible says, and I believe it to be true; therefore, I say it.

A lot of people would like to know about the things of God, but they just can’t seem to learn. This paradox of wanting to learn and not being able to learn is a very discouraging thing. Let’s consider some things. In the first place, the Word of God is like a seed. It is a very small thing when planted, yet when it matures, it is a mighty thing. A seed, when it is planted, must be planted in prepared soil. The soil must have a certain balance of minerals if certain seeds are to survive. The soil must be cultivated if the yield is to be a bounteous one. The first thing we must know is that the human heart cannot harbor the Word of God. The nature of the human heart represents the soil; and as such, the soil, or nature of the human heart, is not compatible to the seed, the Word of God. The heart is a heart of flesh, and its nature is contrary to the things of God because it is “born in sin and shapened in iniquity.” The Holy Spirit, in Romans 7 tells us that in the flesh dwells no good thing. Again, in Romans 8, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” These things are perhaps difficult to understand, but they are the absolute facts. To suppose that the carnal heart can contain the truths of God is utter foolishness. It is impossible for the carnal nature to receive the things of God; certainly it will not nourish the Spiritual Word that is Life Eternal. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. That is why God gave us a new heart. If you will carefully read John 1, you will see that this new heart is not the result of our own effort. We, in no way, had a part in forming this new heart. Its nature is fixed by God. God made it according to His own Will, and He gave it to us because it is His desire to do so. The only requirement is that we should come to Him and receive this new heart. This new Life is made by God, and therefore, it has all that God wants it to have. It has the right soil to nourish the Word of God. It is in this God-given heart that faith the size of a mustard seed will grow into a great tree for God. So we see that God has given us a heart in which the things of God will grow. God has made it possible for us to learn from Him. God has made it possible for us to have a Spiritual nature. If this is true, why is it so hard to learn the things of God? If we have a Spiritual nature, why is it so hard to live in the Spirit? The man who plants the seed knows that not only must he have the right kind of soil, but that he must prepare the ground, and tend it after the seed has been sown. This is true of the things of God. If we do not diligently tend to the things of the Spirit, the Word of God will not flourish in our lives. Jesus told a Parable of the Seed and the Sower. In this Parable He mentioned that thorns and thistles can choke out the life of the seed. He told His Disciples that these thorns and thistles represent the toils and cares of this life. Here are some plain instructions regarding the “tending” to the things of the Spirit. We cannot allow the things of this world to occupy our thoughts. Just as sure as we do this, we will find that the things of God become dull and distant. The carnal appetites of sin and iniquity that are within this flesh will not take to the things of the Spirit. They flourish because they are within their natural element, which is the world. They very soon bring the mind into captivity so that you will find yourself overwhelmed by the toils and cares of this world. When the mind is brought into captivity to this world, we find that we are spending our thoughts on our job, on our wife, on our children, on our vacation, on some new possession, but not on things of the Lord. The individual who is a captive in this sense is one who says, “I can’t find time to pray, read the Bible, and meditate on God’s Word.” This individual is the one who is constantly in need of encouragement. This individual is the one who is in constant danger of “slipping away” from the things of God. He is born again, he has Life from God, but he is not “tending the seed.” Rather than receiving from the Bible, he receives sympathy from men. This very sympathy is food for the carnal nature that will destroy the seed of God within him. This individual is a “captive Christian.” He has received a new heart, but his mind is still captive to the thinking and reasoning and luxuries of this world. Jesus Christ came to set the captive free! If we claim the freedom that Jesus Christ gives, we will no longer be bound in our minds. The things of this world will no longer have the power to overwhelm our thoughts. Sufferings, tribulations and the joys and pleasures of this life will take their proper perspective, and they will not overwhelm our minds. Our minds will be free to think of the things of God. This is true because Jesus Christ sets us free. But, you have to take your freedom. Renew your mind--set your affection on things above!! Paul said, “I beseech you brethren, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...”--Rom.12:1-2 The only way you can prove the things of God is to Live in them. You prove salvation because by faith you accept it and Live in it. You have healing from God because you accept it and Live in it. You have the peace of God because you accept it and Live in it. Even so, you will be transformed; you will not conform to the things of this world when your mind is renewed. The Lord Jesus gave us a new heart--a Spiritual heart, one that contains the Life and nature of God. He gave this to us while we are yet in the flesh. By this gift He showed His love to us. He set Light next to Darkness so that we might see His Love. Now it’s our move. We can give our minds to the things of this world and never be transformed, always living in darkness, never understanding the things of the Spirit, always saying, “I wish I knew,” or we can present our mind to the Lord, turn it away from the things of this world, place it on things of God, and we will be transformed. We will have time to meditate on God’s Word, but we will not have time to think about remodeling the house, or buying a new one, or taking a vacation, or this thing or that thing. We will not only have a new heart that is fertile to the “seed” of God’s Word, but we will have the proper attitude to dress and keep this Garden of God. The mind that gives itself to the things of this world is producing death, but the mind that gives itself to the things of God is bringing forth the Life of God. Will you give your mind to the things of God and Live, or will you allow it to be taken captive by the cares and pleasures of this world? In Philippians 4:8 we find some good advice--“Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

When a person tries to memorize the things of God, they are only putting it in their mind. But God will bring to our remembrance everything we need to know. We don’t learn from God or about the things of God the way we learn with our mind. That’s simply because God is Spirit and the mind is carnal and of this world. The realm of God is a foreign realm to the mind. The mind can’t even imagine the things of God. It is beyond its capability. All things necessary to know must be revealed. For instance, why must I be born again? Simply because the Bible tells me I cannot enter the kingdom of God unless I am. Also I cannot perceive the things of the Spirit in my first estate because in it I am flesh. The Bible tells me flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God. God’s realm is the realm of the Spirit. Jesus plainly stated to Nicodemus and in his conversation with the woman of Samaria that God is Spirit. He is like the wind--He is invisible. That’s why I must become born again so that I might become Spirit and enter God’s realm--the realm of Spiritual things. Flesh and blood is not capable of knowing God, but I am capable because Christ in me is my capability. But Christ is no longer flesh--He is the “Spirit of Truth” and a Spirit has not flesh and bone according to Jesus. Flesh, which appears to me as everything, becomes as nothing when compared to the reality of the Spirit. My flesh cries out and says, “Recognize me, I am reality, the life is in me.” But Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing.” I do not wish to be nothing, so I will identify with Christ as my new life and I find my significance in Him. I am only complete in Him! The Bible says that the flesh is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. I do want to live so I will abide where true life is found--in God. If there is life only in the Spirit, then I cannot live in the flesh, because that’s not God’s realm. In fact, Paul says in Romans 8:8-9, “Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be the Spirit of God lives in you,” and “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” To live in the identity of the flesh is to live in lies, and I do not wish to live a lie. But I must claim this new life for my own. That’s what being born again does for me; it makes me a new creature in the Father and in the Son because they are one. If I am new, then I am no longer the old. All of the old things have passed away--they are gone. They died when Jesus died. I need not worry about dying now because the old man has already died with Christ and Christ has given me eternal life. My flesh doesn’t have eternal life, but the real me--the one Peter calls the hidden man of the heart does. Where is this hidden man? Paul says in Colossians that he is hid with Christ in God. So I have already passed from death into life and that’s what the Bible calls Life in the Spirit.

Let this truth be known to all those who would walk with God and do His will. Perfection is not in the flesh. No organization is perfect and no individual is perfect. When we learn this truth, we will look to the proper place for perfection. Perfection is only found in Jesus Christ, and it is not the perfection of the flesh. Our eyes will be turned from people to Christ. We will neither seek God in people nor the church organizations, but we will seek Him within the confines of our own heart. There, and only there, will we find Him. As he fills our heart, He will fill our world, so that we can see His purpose and His way in all that is done. We will see the meaning of His Word, because we see Him. Our understanding will be enlightened with the knowledge of God, so that we will neither be discouraged nor afraid; but we will know clearly the paths of righteousness in which we must walk. The division of principalities and powers will be clearly defined so that we can accept and use that which God means for us to accept and use. And we will turn from all that is not of God, whether it be in people or in church; but we will not remove ourselves from the people of the world. Rather we will give ourselves to them, knowing that Christ is in us and that He is the only One to provide us a place that is reconciled to God. Church and people will not be strangers to us, but the man who has Christ established in his heart, will be among those who have need of Christ, because he can see the need, and he knows that it is in his power to give that which is needed. The man who has Christ established in his heart, has no need for the material organizations of man--they have need of him. He will not become entangled with the tentacles of organization because they would bind him, and he dare not allow himself to be bound. He will be like Paul, who persistently went to the Synagogue; and like Paul, as long as he stays within the confines of what is already accepted and believed, he himself will be accepted and believed. But let him go beyond the limits of tradition, and reveal Christ, and there will be an erupting of forces, a clashing of ideas, and a division will take place. God will reveal Himself to the hungry heart, and they will never again be the same. Even as Paul rapidly fell into disfavor with many of the Church Authorities of his day, so will the man fall into disfavor with many of the people of the churches today. So the man will not stay away from the church just because he may not be accepted. He will not become discouraged when they reject his Words because he knows that it is not his Word, but God’s. He knows that God’s Word is a Seed, that when once planted in a hungry heart will grow and bring forth fruit. So even though there are many who are not hungry, there are some that are, and Jesus came to satisfy the hungry. The man, who knows that Christ is thoroughly established in his heart, will not withhold Him from those who are hungry just because there are those who will oppose Him. Jesus came to His own, and His own received Him not. Yet He remained faithful in Love; and, therefore, the Seed was planted in my heart. Jesus came to seek out those who were lost, and to bring salvation to them. How can I do less?

I can in no way overemphasize the importance of turning to God, who is Spirit, to find the answer for all problems that arise in life. Quite frequently we cling to something that we think is to be, or should be, and yet we do not see the material realization of that thing. We are torn then between saying that we have understood something to be that is not to be, or that God is wrong. We can not say that God is wrong, and we are extremely unwilling to say that we are wrong, so we attempt to evolve a thought, or a theory, that will embrace both the material and the Spiritual. This cannot be done! There is nothing of the flesh that will inherit the Kingdom of God. God’s Kingdom is of the Spirit--it always has been, and it always will be. The Scriptures teach that if you sow to the flesh, you will of that very thing, reap destruction. If you sow to the Spirit, you will of the Spirit reap Life Everlasting. Many people revel in the Old Testament. The function of the Law, and the Old Testament is to bring us to Christ. If we refuse to be brought to Christ and live in the things that He has provided, then we will still be bound by the flesh. We will still look for the things our eyes can see, we will still say, “How long until your Kingdom will be set up?” We will still judge Spiritual progress by the evidence of our physical senses. As long these conditions exist, there will be turmoil, confusion and defeat in our spirits. We are Spiritual Creatures--our life is of the Spirit, our knowledge is of the Spirit, all that we are is Spirit. The Spirit is not, never has been, nor will it ever be, subject to the flesh. The Spirit is God. God made the flesh; the flesh did not make God. Flesh hides from God; flesh fights to get away from God; flesh is not subject to God, nor will it ever be. The Old Testament points to Christ. Christ says, “I am the way.” If I am to arrive at the place God desires, if I am to be restored to God, then I must go by “the Way.” The way takes me from the flesh and presents me to God. In Christ I am removed from the flesh and placed in the Spirit. All things now have become new, because I have access to a new realm. No more now will I look for the things of the flesh, or the things the flesh could live in, because in Christ I have already considered the flesh to be dead. How can I say I am a Spiritual Creature, dead to the flesh, and yet look forward to a physical heaven--a physical kingdom? How can I say I have reckoned the flesh dead and yet demand the things of the flesh? How can I say I have laid my treasure in the things of the Spirit and yet search for and fight for the things of the flesh? How can I divide my life into two contrary realms and say I have yielded self entirely to the Spirit? If I am to follow the Spirit, I can not long for, or follow after the flesh. It is Satan’s job to cause discontent, and it is our responsibility to refuse to accept any thought that could cause discontentment. These thoughts must be brought into captivity. We dare not entertain doubt, or confusion, or discontent. To say, “How long must I endure?” is to say Christ has not endured for me. But it was prophesied of Christ that He HAS borne my sorrows and carried my grief. He was made flesh to do that. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, the chastisement of my peace was upon Him. He bore my unrighteousness, took my sin, died my death. He endured these for me. These are all things that the flesh is subject to. He became flesh that I might become Spirit. Shall I make His death of no effect by continuing to look after and follow in the ways of the flesh? Or shall I accept His death for mine by fleeing from every thought of the flesh, and cling to the new Life of His Spirit? I must believe my new Father. He will supply all of my needs. He said He would do this by Christ Jesus. I must have the assurance that He will do this because He said He would. It is Satan’s job to get me to think I need something that I do not have, and then to get me to dwell on this thought. The more I dwell on this, the more I am convinced that I am being cheated of something that I am supposed to have. If I am to embrace this thought, I am accepting something that is contrary to the definite expression of God. He said that He will supply all my needs. Any thought contrary to that is a lie, and is of Satan, and dare not be entertained. It must be cast out. If my Father says He will supply my needs, and there is anything that suggests that my needs are not supplied, then that thought is not of God and is actively hostile to the peace of God. Sometimes Satan's approach is to tempt us by saying that we are creatures of the flesh, and as such we must give heed to the flesh. The Disciples were considering this at one time. Jesus pointed out that the lilies didn’t work or worry, and yet they had all the things that God meant for them to have. Then He told His Disciples a very important thing, “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things will be added to you.” Again, Jesus taught that anyone who wants to save their own life will lose it, but if anyone will lose their life--let go of it, that one will really find life. That’s the way we come into the fullness of God--by losing ourselves. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." The old one is no more, it is passed away. How can I say I believe this and still seek gratification of my physical sense? Why do I say I am a Spiritual Creature and still look for a physical kingdom? If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin. Satan says to us that this isn’t so, that we know perfectly well that our body is very much alive. GOD SAYS THAT IT IS DEAD! If I believe God, then I will say that my body is dead, and the life that I now live in the flesh is God living in me. Therefore I will not pay attention to the body, rather to the Christ that is in me. I AM A SPIRITUAL CREATURE. If I am not willing to accept this Spiritual fact, then I am cutting myself off from the victory that is mine in the Lord. If I am willing to accept this Spiritual fact, then I must actively possess it. I can not take my ease and say to the Spirit, “Here I am, lead me.” The Kingdom of Heaven is only possessed by those, who by faith, do the things that God shows them to do. Remember that Jesus said that He did the things that His Father showed Him to do. When we exercise God’s faith within us, we will be encouraged and amazed at the greatness of God’s love when our Spirits receive knowledge from God. But just to have the knowledge is not to have the victory. Noah by faith knew there would be flood waters, but this knowledge didn’t save him. He had to act, so though he had never seen flood waters, he built the Ark. He never had any little showers in between times to encourage him--he operated by faith. Just the nature of the word faith is to believe in something that is not apparent to the physical senses. We must live in faith! By faith, then, the Spirit is real--not by sight. The Spirit must be real to me or else I can not follow its leadings. I exercise faith by casting down my imaginings and reasonings that are based on what my senses say exist, and I look confidently and serenely to the things that do not exist to my senses. Faith says: The Spirit is the Truth. Faith says: The Spirit is Life. Faith says: The Spirit is my Strength. Faith says: The Spirit is my Joy. Faith says: The Spirit is Victorious. So by exercising the power of faith, I can say, “I have Life, I have Truth, I am strong, I have Joy, I am Victorious.” Anything that is contrary to this is contrary to God. It’s a lie, and if I give heed to it and follow after it, I am giving heed to and am following after the flesh. Jesus Christ was crucified to redeem me--to take me away from the flesh and to bring me to the Spirit. He has provided the way. He has given me the faith--I must exercise it.

I read in the paper the other day about someone who was recovering from a case of poison ivy. It seems this party was hiking through the woods and coming to a shady green spot, decided to lie down and rest for awhile. The idea was all right, but the place was full of poison ivy and the results were bad. The article was captioned with a picture of the person swathed in bandages and reading a WORSHIPING IN THE SPIRIT There is a bit of a problem as to how best to set forth some of the truths of the Spirit. If only people would seek after God and recognize Him as a Spirit, then understanding would be increased. The things we talk about sound like a bunch of nonsensical foolishness to the reasoning of man, but it is truly solid when it comes to Spiritual things. As soon as we realize that God doesn’t have to conform to man, but rather is complete within His own confines and can do exactly as He wishes, then we will begin to have the flexibility that ALLOWS for God’s leading. God does not HAVE to work in a church organization. Maybe at one time He will and in certain ways, but He is not bound to do a repeat performance--don’t expect Him to! Physical love and natural expectation cause many people to be overwhelmed by despair. There is NO material thing or act that we do, that can repeatedly bring the Spirit of God’s presence to us. We must be flexible and EXPECT God to come from nowhere and everywhere. His Spirit can be strong within us as we walk down the street and look into the face of a passerby. On the other hand, the most beautiful Sanctuary ever built, in which the most impressive ritual ever enacted by man is a regular occurrence, can turn your heart into the hardest and coldest kind of stone as far as God is concerned. God was not in the earthquake--He was not in the lightning or thunder, nor was He in the mighty wind; it was that “still small voice.” Look for God to be everywhere, but don’t demand for Him to be anywhere. When you have found Him, don’t reverence the place or the act, but worship the Spirit. When you find He is not in something, no matter how much you think He should be there, don’t try to put Him there, or your heart will turn to stone. Do not say that just because something seems good to you, it is good to the Lord; or that because such and such seems the rea¬sonable thing to do, it is God’s will. God does not conform to man’s ways or man’s thoughts unless He sees His glory in it. Man’s will and reasoning is conceived, exists, and disintegrates in death. It has never seen anything else, so it cannot produce “real life” of its own accord. The words that God speaks mean just what He wants them to mean, and no amount of theological meandering is going to change them. When you say, “How can these things be,” you are saying that you do not have either the mind or the faith of God, and are trying to understand them within yourself. Again, the mind conceived in darkness cannot comprehend the light. To be carnally minded IS death. One cannot say with the lips, “I believe,” and in the heart entertain doubts, because soon your life will put the lie to your words. To be determined that such a thing will be, or should be, does not make it so; and physical energy or physical zeal does not produce Spiritual reality. One can believe that such a thing is true, and yet consider it to be of such remote consequence that, even though the fact is concrete in reality, it is nonexistent to the individual. This is impersonal faith. If, however, I believe that an event is to occur that concerns me and for which I must prepare and is actually going to happen, then because of this faith, I will bring my life into certain channels that will produce the beneficial results. This is a personal faith, and the result of this faith is a changed condition. On the other hand, I may be the one who must change. Either way, I can learn in all things if I am willing. Our life demonstrates the personality of our faith. Faith that is faith in the eyes of God is a productive seed that produces Life where there was no Life. The possessor of this faith finds his life a changing life, not because he wills the change, but solely because this is the nature of faith. When you come together to pray, come with your own praises, your own desires, your own needs. But then when you have prayed and sense the presence of the Spirit, remember those about you so that you ALL may enjoy the fellowship of the Spirit. In this manner, you will come to know the unity and leading of the Spirit. You will learn the need of the Spirit in your life and for those about you ONLY as you know the Spirit of God yourself. The reaction of physical things upon the flesh produces certain results. Physical things cannot react the same way upon the Spirit because they are of different natures. In the flesh, the reaction is to produce sin which brings forth death. In the Spirit, the self same thing brings forth Life. How does this work? In the flesh the desire presented itself, and we yielded; in the Spirit the desire presented itself, and we learned of God because, in comparing the desires of the flesh with the Spirit desires, we clearly see how insignificant flesh is. The man who has never been tempted knows not the bigness of God. Roy L. Stahlbook on botany. That makes good sense. If you get into trouble because of something you do not understand, give it some thought and attention so you can avoid the same thing happening again. Spiritually speaking, we get into a peck of trouble because of the ineffectual operation of our faith. The thing that causes all this trouble is doubt, so let’s look at the culprit a little more closely and see it for what it is. The dictionary says that doubt springs from the intellect. If this is true, it means that our most serious enemy, insofar as the things of God are concerned, is the mind that man prizes so highly and spends so much time developing. The Bible says that the carnal mind sees no further than the natural things, but the Spiritual mind reaches out after the things of the Spirit. The carnal mind means death, and the Spiritual mind means Life and peace. And this is only to be expected, for the carnal mind is opposed to the purpose of God, and neither can nor will follow His laws for living. Men who follow after the carnal mind can not possibly please God (Rom. 8:6.8). So it seems plain that the source of trouble is allowing our mind to dictate to us. God says one thing; and our mind, being opposed to this Spiritual knowledge, says it can’t possibly be, that’s just not the way things are. If we follow the reasonings of our mind in this case, we are bound to doubt the things of God. Being creatures that have the ability of choice, we can think what we will, but this thing we must know: When our will is above God’s will, only one thing can result--doubt. God has given man a soul that demands the Spirit of God in order to live. It was this Spirit of God that made man a Living soul. It was with this mind that man chose to be contrary to the things of God. Faith is made strong by hearing the truth, and that truth is the message of Jesus Christ, not the reasonings of our carnal mind. So here is the situation as it exists. The soul desires the things of God, and our mind is contrary to these things. The soul is eager to live by the direction of the Spirit, but the mind says, “I’ll have my own way. There is war being waged within us in a very real sense. One of the acts in this warfare is to cast down imaginations (the original of this word means not to follow our own reasonings) and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We even fight to capture every thought until it acknowledges and is obedient to the authority of Christ (2 Cor.10:.5). When the mind is brought into captivity to the desires of God, there will be no more doubts; and then the faith that God has given us will have free and ample opportunity to bring the strength of God into our life. I beg of you that you present your bodies alive unto God--be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you might prove (live in) the perfect will of God (Rom.12:1-2).

He wants to work through me, because I have been given permission to do His will, because I am ready and invested with the necessary authority and power. I am backed with the requirements needed to do His will and to feed the hungry hearts that are in need of Him. The Spirit has anointed me for a purpose. He does not dwell in me without a reason. He has not given me a useless or powerless thing. He is the source of comfort that meets every need. He says, “Go and give.” It is an honor and great privilege to represent Him, for I do re-present Him and all that He is. We are one. It is the Father working through me, willing and doing His own good pleasure. I am one with His Spirit, love, and authority. Anything He wants me to do, I can do. He would not tell me that I am anointed if I were not ready. He would not tell me that He has anointed me to speak His Word if I were not able. He would not teach me anything in vain. He would not entrust me with this valuable information if I could not act upon it. He would not reveal the authority He has given me if it were not backed by Him--the inexhaustible source of authority and integrity. He wants me to know that He, Himself, has anointed me with His ability to do and carry out His will in reaching the lost and unlearned, the bound and imprisoned. He wants me to speak with the Word of His power so that the captives can be released and the prisoners can be set free. He trusts me and depends upon me to proclaim this good news (Gospel). He loves me enough to reveal His will so I can do it, and He can reach others through me. He would not disclose this if He knew that I would not understand. He has told me because He knew I would understand and receive it with gladness. He has revealed His will because He knows that He can trust me with this precious knowledge. He knows that I now understand Him well enough to obey His Spirit. He would not reveal that I have been given the authority of His Word if I could not use it. He unveils only that which I am ready to receive. He shows me only that which I can be trusted with and will not abuse because of ignorance. He informs me so that I will not be ignorant. He has given me a precious gift that I must realize to be very important. I must not withhold it from others. I have a responsibility to His Word. His love reaches out to give of Himself so as to meet the need of the troubled heart. I must not limit Him. He says, “I am in your hands. My authority and love are at your disposal, and I trust you with it. You are now my Son; do a Son’s job, meet his obligations, fill his responsibilities. You can with my ability. You are taking my place, representing all that I am here on earth.” That is why He has anointed me. He would not show me my position and tell me of my mission unless He provided the ability to fulfill it. His sweet Spirit has whispered this to my heart; that’s why I can believe Him. The Father never tells us anything that is unsure or unreliable. His wisdom says: How, why, where, and when. He knows how to gently maneuver us into the conscious knowledge of our position and authority as the anointed Sons of God. Our position and authority is equal to His because it is His. He has given it to us. He has entrusted us with it. He has placed us over all things, even as He is over all things, for we are as He is (1 John 4:17). What a precious privilege that we should be anointed by the Father. We have met His approval and have been given a position, an office, to carry out His desire and execute His will. God would never have revealed to Jesus that He was His Son if Jesus wouldn’t have realized just what it meant to be a Son of God. He told Him so he could realize. This position is one of authority. Jesus knew the place that a Son held. He was anointed by the Spirit, and he knew what for. This anointing is equal to the power that it represents. They are one. Jesus had received knowledge that He was the anointed. God would not have told Him that He was the anointed without giving Him the knowledge that He had the ability to fulfill this anointing. This ability was the Spirit’s ability, the power of the Spirit. He was to represent God, so God became his ability. He represented the ability of the Spirit that had anointed Him. Everything that the Spirit was, He represented. Jesus, the anointing, and the Spirit were one. The words that Jesus spoke carried the Father’s authority. They carried the same power and anointing as his position in God. He did not have to back them up; the one He represented did that. No ability of His own was required, only His obedience. That is why He could proclaim the captives freedom and the prisoners’ release. He said what He was anointed to say or given the authority to speak. He did not speak his own words; He spoke the Father’s Word--what He was commissioned to say. He said, “The words I speak unto you are Spirit and they are Life.”--John 6:63 Jesus was telling the people that He had been given authority from the Spirit of God to tell them that these words were good for today. He just spoke the words the Father gave Him to speak and the poor, the brokenhearted, the captive, and the blind were all taken care of. Jesus knew for what purpose He was anointed. He exercised his authority. He knew that even though He was given authority, it would benefit no one unless He believed in it. He used it only according to knowledge--Spiritual knowledge. God had to show Jesus, or teach Him how to use it and when to use it. Jesus obeyed the Spirit’s directions, so God’s authority was behind Him (John 8:28). Authority that is not known or realized cannot be utilized. The knowledge of this authority came from the source of authority. Jesus knew that what the Father showed Him could be trusted and acted upon. He recognized that the Father and His Word were one. It was God in Jesus, willing and working His own good pleasure. This was the mind of God in Christ. We have been given the same mind. God is thinking His thoughts through us just as He did through Jesus. This is the anointing of the Spirit of God--the Gospel of Christ filled with His ability to meet the need of every believing heart.

(A Living Paraphrase of Romans 6, 7, & 8) What should our response be to God’s Love? Shall we just turn our backs and return to the ways of the flesh? Shall we go on abiding in the old man of sin when God’s mercy is so generous and abundant? Heavens no! How can we who have died to the man of sinful flesh continue looking for Life in a thing that has already passed away? Don’t you realize (real eyes) by now, all who are in Christ Jesus, God, the Father, also have been included in His death? Because of this fact, our old man was actually buried, being totally identified with Jesus in His death; then when Jesus was raised from the dead by that glorious inward quickening of the Father’s presence, we also were born again to share in a new and Divine Life. Realizing that we were actually planted together in a seed of oneness in Christ’s death, we can also be certain that we participa¬ted in the full significance of His resurrection. It was then and there that the body of Christ was raised from death. Knowing this truth, we actually died when Jesus died. Yes, His death was really our death. This was God’s sure way of removing the old man of sin permanently out of the way. Now we can truly say, “I am free.” It is a simple fact. He that has died to the flesh is also set free from the bondage of sin. Now if we really died when Jesus died, if we truly believe that He died in our place, then we can be confident that we also share in His new resurrection Life. We are now recognizing that Christ arose victoriously from the clutches of death, both spiritual and physical; and He need never again subordinate to its control. The facts are when He was set free, we were set free. When He triumphed, we triumphed in Him. His victory was really our victory. It was necessary for Him to die to sin in the flesh only once; but now that He is alive again, He lives in the Spirit of God forever. Well, how does all this affect us? You simply must know that you are one with Him. What was and is true of Him is true of you. You also are to count upon the fact that in Jesus you died to sin’s control. But thank God, you are now Living a new Spiritual Life in the Father through Jesus, the Son. Dwelling in your inner man, the hidden man of your heart lives the power of an endless Life. Now then stop--stop allowing your sin-filled flesh to dictate policy to you. Reckon it dead. You have a new Life; you are born again, not of the flesh, but this time of the Spirit. You are under no further obligation to obey the flesh and its desires. It has already died with Christ-- reckon it so. No longer offer your bodily members as vehicles for the unholy spirit. Don’t do his dirty work; but simply yield yourselves to the Father as one who has been raised from spiritual death into newness of Life. Yield your members to the Holy Spirit of righteousness because sinful flesh has lost its legal claim over you. Being a new creation in Christ also takes you out from under the judgment of the law and places you in the Father’s favor. Well then, shall we just turn away from God’s Love and go on doing our own thing? Heavens no! You must certainly realize that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey his slave you in fact become. When you follow the flesh, you automatically become servants to the flesh because that is the nature of sin--it makes men slaves. So you see, man became the devil’s slave simply by serving his own desires and it ended in spiritual death. That is the death you have been redeemed from--the death that separates one from the Father. Obedience to the right Spirit binds you to God, but then in truth it really sets you free. You have only God to thank that you have been bought from Satan’s slave market. You were purchased at the greatest cost, so don’t be fools and go back under his yoke of bondage. I am deeply thankful to God, our Father, that you have obeyed with all your heart the Good News I have brought to you. Through Christ’s death, you were severed from the law of sin that dwells in your flesh and you have become the willing Love slaves of God’s righteousness. For the first time, praise God, you are truly free. I am using examples that you see everyday because flesh is not really capable of grasping Spiritual thought. I am confident, however, that the Spirit of truth will quicken your understanding. So, my brethren, you have heard the Good News that you might now learn to hand your bodily members over to the right One. Remember, it is either good or evil--flesh or Spirit. You must always keep in mind you cannot serve but one master at a time. Frankly, it is either God or the devil--there is no in-between ground. Think about it, which one gives you joy and peace? Then, too, what kind of harvest have you been reaping? It depends; have you been sowing to the flesh or have you been sowing to the Spirit? You must have learned by now all things of the flesh only end in condemnation and death. Even our Lord taught, “He that commits sin is the servant of sin.” But praise God! Today is the day of your salvation. God Himself through Christ Jesus has made you free from Satan’s tyranny. You are now bondsmen to the truth and your harvest is a brand new creation, the real and lasting benefit being Eternal Life now dwelling in your souls. When you followed the ways of the flesh, Satan paid your wages. It was death--death of the worst kind. It was a spiritual death that always ended in a feeling of separation and alienation from God. You actually labored in the vineyard of despair, the devil being your taskmaster. You were paid the wages of emptiness. But now you are free. Receive, therefore, the gift of God which is Eternal Life and start enjoying your inheritance. You are aware of the fact, my brethren, you who are acquainted with the law, that the law can judge a man only so long as he lives. For an example: A married woman is tied by the law to her husband as long as he is living; but if the “old man” dies, she is immediately set free from her earthly tie. If her husband (the old man) should still be alive when she married another, the law would judge her as an adulteress. That is because she would be having two relationships at one time and that is illegal. Now if her husband should die, then she is set free to marry again. The real problem here, as you can see, is the old man and the law. To sum it up and to show you what I am really driving at: There is no legal way out for the woman except death to the old man-- her husband. Can you comprehend the Spiritual implications here? God actually put to death your old man on the cross. In fact, if you could only grasp it—Christ’s body hanging on that tree was really your body. Yes, it was your body of sin that was destroyed. Jesus was taking our place upon that cross and our flesh was put to death with Him, killing its secret motives and desires. Putting it bluntly, it was you who really died. We were worthy of death, but Jesus willingly substituted in our behalf. God, the Father, made all this possible so that you could be married or made one with Him. Never forget that you were in Christ each step of the way. Even when He was raised from death, the Father included you in Him. God was waiting to reap the harvest as He gathered new fruit unto Everlasting Life. You see, in the mind of God, you were born again when Christ arose from the dead; and at that time, you were removed from the bondage of the flesh. This became possible because when you were born of the Spirit, you became Spiritually alive. When you were in the flesh and ruled by the flesh, the earthly desires inherent within your bodies were always at work. They, of course, were contrary to the law. It is just plain spiritual death to be ruled by the flesh. But, brethren, the miracle of miracles has transpired in Christ. We who were and are in Christ have been set free from the law of sin that dwells in the old creation. That was made possible because in God’s mind we were put to death in the exact spot where we were once held captive. In Christ we have died to Satan’s hold. Thank God, we now Live a new Spiritual Life in Christ. We need no longer fear judgment by the law, the criticism of others, or the accusations of the devil. When flesh died its death, we were freed in the Spirit from every form of bondage. That is because bondage itself exists in the flesh. Are we saying then that the law is sinful? Heavens no! The law had a purpose--it was a schoolmaster to escort us to Christ. It was the law that made sin very apparent and caused me to sense a definite need for salvation. I would not have known the dreadful existence of sin if the law had not pointed out my evil desires by simply saying, “Thou shall not covet.” But sin in my body gained control in spite of the law and a deep sense of unrighteousness kept pulling me down. I had no doubt that I was a doomed sinner. When there was no law to judge me, sin was not an issue-- it was almost as though I found life without law. But when I compared myself along side the law, I immediately saw how far short flesh fell from the glory of God. It was awful. As the law’s demands became more and more apparent, I became smaller and smaller by comparison. I died in my smallness. The very commandment that was meant for Life towered over me like a giant of death. But, my brothers, it wasn’t really the law that was my problem--it was sin. Sin took advantage of me through the commandment. By the law sin itself managed to deceive me and finally killed me. It left me totally powerless. Now the law itself is holy, righteous, and good. Was it really that which is good that became a thing of death unto me? Heavens no! It was the old man of sin again being revealed for what he was. He was actually using good to work evil against me. Nevertheless it was really God’s plan that I should see the terrible awesomeness of sin through His law. It left no question that man apart from God is hopelessly bound by sin’s control. The law itself is Spiritual; it is a very good outline of God’s nature. God doesn’t lie-- God doesn’t steal. The problem is that apart from Christ I am still a carnal man. Adam sold my birthright to Satan and I inherited his state of slavery. I could not free myself from this awful bondage. The devil owned me lock, stock, and barrel. It appears I am constantly doing things that my inner man does not approve. I seem to be powerless to carry out that which I know to be right. I detest my own actions; it is as though I am a living-contradiction. My heart agrees with the goodness of God’s law and so my struggles have brought me to this final conclusion: there is a separation here of flesh from Spirit--a change of identity. I must know who I really am. If I keep doing that which my inner man abhors, then it is not really I who is doing it, but the principle of sin that still exists in my body. I am convinced now and forever there dwells absolutely no good thing in the flesh. I at long last can see that this is exactly what God wanted me to know. Why then should I continue to look to the flesh for good? No wonder I am often disappointed; I must learn to look to the Spirit. I have the willingness to do what is right, but I find there is no ability within my flesh to carry out that which is good. The good that I want to do I don’t do; but the evil that I detest, I am constantly doing. Now if I habitually do that which my inner man does not approve, I must conclude that it is not really I who am doing it but the sin that dwells in my flesh. I find this principle: when I would do good, evil always steps in the way. My inner man wholeheartedly agrees with God’s law, but there is also a principle at work in my senses--my bodily members--that is at war with my mind. What I see bothers me; what I hear disturbs my mind; what I feel rules me. I find that this ungodly principle of sin that is in my body often controls my mind and brings me under bondage to the law of sin and death that exists in the flesh. Oh, hopeless and despairing man that I am! Who can possibly deliver me out of this condemned body of death? Praise God, Jesus Christ, our Lord, has already done it! So then I can do the things contained in the law only when my mind is in subjection not to the flesh, but to the Spirit. The flesh always serves the law of sin. That is because when my mind comes under the control of the flesh, I become a slave to the flesh; but when my mind is captive to Christ, I am set free by the Spirit. This is the conclusion, my brothers: you must understand that the Father never condemns His children--never! You are now righteous in Christ Jesus because He was already condemned on your behalf. Condemnation and death come about by following after the desires of the flesh. Yes, it is truly a thing of death. That is because the flesh is Satan’s realm and he is a condemning spirit. Now a new principle called the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has actually made us free from the principle of sin and death in the flesh. This happened at the resurrection of Christ but became ours in the new birth by faith. What the law could not enable us to do because of the weakness of our humanity, God did by sending His own Son adorned in the likeness of sinful-flesh* just like ours. It was because sin exists in all flesh that God, the Father, condemned His own Son to die in the flesh on our behalf. You see, He did away with sin when He did away with His Son. Jesus actually put sin away once for all by the sacrifice of Himself. This made it possible for the very righteousness of the law to be fulfilled in us as we Live by the motivation of the Spirit and not after the dictates of the flesh. *(Jesus was not a sinner. See 2 Cor.5:21. Well then, what’s the answer--where is our victory? It is very simple. It is again in recognizing the difference between flesh and Spirit. You see those who follow the desires of the flesh do so simply because they are thinking about the cravings of the flesh. Likewise those who are willing to follow the longings of the Holy Spirit place their mind upon Spiritual things. We reap exactly what we sow. To be ruled by the mind of the flesh means immediate spiritual death. (Remember what happened to Adam and Eve?) But to deliberately place your mind upon the things of the Spirit of God means Eternal Life and God’s own peace right here and now. That is because the mind trained by the five senses is an enemy of God. It is of a completely different realm and most certainly not a willing subject of God’s kingdom. It is always in opposition to the knowledge of God and is not capable of understanding Spiritual things. It gains its knowledge not by revelation, but by physical contact with this present evil world. It is impossible for it to understand the things of God because God is Spirit and the carnal mind is of the flesh. So you can plainly see, my brothers, those who think real Life is in the flesh are deceived. Being controlled by the mind of the flesh, they cannot possibly please God. But I have Good News for you: your real Life is not in the flesh, but it is in the Spirit of God. That is because the Spirit of truth now abides in you and you dwell with Christ in the heavenlies. Now if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, then of course He is not one with the Father. That is because only those who are born of the Spirit can dwell in God’s kingdom. Now it has been clearly revealed to me, my brethren, that the flesh is a thing of death. I now see why it was necessary for Jesus to die for me. We can now understand that real Life exists only in the righteous Spirit of God. Yes, the flesh is dead! That is why we must be born again. We haven’t even begun to Live until we receive God’s Eternal Life. If the same triumphant Life which resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you, He that raised Christ up from the dead is now also making alive your mortal bodies by that self-same Spirit. Because these facts are a present reality in Christ, we have a definite responsibility; but it is no longer to the former man of flesh--the old man of sin that we once were. For if we continue to follow after the desires of the flesh just a s Adam, we shall surely die! Let us, the refore, receive the grace of God, not in vain, but with wholehearted thanksgiving. Because we can do all things through Christ’s indwelling Spirit, who is our strength, let us willingly reckon dead our bodily members here on earth that we may begin to enjoy now a new Life in heaven. Please read these references: Isaiah 40:6; Rom.6:6-12; 7:17-18; 8:3; 2 Cor.5:21; Mark 14:38; Heb.5:2; 9:26

Spiritual insanity--that’s what it is! Sometimes we do not act like we are in our right minds. Just what do I mean by that? Well, the word righteous means true; therefore, what I am saying is sometimes we do not act like people who abide in the mind of truth. The Bible says, “We have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor.2:16. It does not say it would be nice if we had it, but it says if we are Christians we already possess it. The Bible also says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”--Phil. 2:5. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”--John 14:6. He also said, “Abide in Me.”--John 15:4. Jesus confessed that the words that He spoke did not originate within Him, but the source was His Father who lived within. The truth of it is that if we are not abiding in Christ, then we are not living in our right minds. To put it in plainer words, if possible, when we do not allow the mind of Christ to rule over our thoughts, we are partaking of spiritual insanity. Does that offend you? Well, if you love the truth of God’s Word, you won’t be. “Blessed are they who love thy word for nothing shall offend them.” You see, only God has a mind that is free and not adulterated and contaminated with worldly wisdom. He looked down from Heaven and beheld that the mind (imagination) of man was evil continually. Man’s mind is earthly, sensual and devilish (James 3:15). He said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways.”--Isa.55:8 However, He has given us the privilege of having His mind if we want it. We don’t have to take it; but if we want it, we may have it right now. It is a wonderful mind. There is no worry or fear or frustration within it--only peace, joy, and confidence. That is because the mind of God is completely independent of this world and from the forces of evil. “My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you.”-- John 14:27. The only way to escape the pollutions of this world is to not only have a change of heart, but a change of mind. We can safely abide in the mind of Christ. Insanity is simply a word used to show the difference between that which is normal and that which is abnormal. The things we allow to parade through our imagination at times would be considered completely abnormal to the mind of God or the mind of truth. Therefore, God categorizes it as spiritual insanity. Speaking of Adam and Eve where it all began, Paul says, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” One of the meanings of the word “fool” is imbecile. They became spiritual imbeciles-- vain in their imaginations; their foolish heart was darkened.”--Rom. 1:22 When we allow Satan to put certain thoughts in our mind, we are acting like spiritual fools. When Jesus said words like, “Let not your heart be troubled,” and “Abide in me and I in you,” it was an invitation from the mind of God beckoning us to depart from our worldly cares and to take refuge in that consciousness which is God’s alone. He was telling us that if we would draw our life from Him that we would not be overcome by the cares of this world. That is because there is no error in God’s thinking. His mind is free from the attacks of the evil one so we are told to put on the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17). It is God’s own salvation and freedom. How people are in need of a new mind. The old carnal mind with its spiritual sense of inferiority, plagued by the circumstances and nagging perplexities of this temporary life, will not do. Jesus beheld the need that man had for a new mind as well as a new Spirit and began to introduce it when He said, “Take no thought for your life.”--Matt. 6:25. He knew that to change the heart was good but unless the mind could be changed with it, worry would still nag, perplex, and hold the Spiritually-free in an imaginary bondage. It’s of no use on this earth if you are free in Spirit, but bound in thought. Jesus knew that Satan’s tool has always been the “carnal mind” with its thoughts and thoughts can enforce a bondage upon human experience just as real as Roman government. He knew that it was not a political change that society required, but a revolution in the heart and the mind. Both were significant to Him. This alone would set man free from Satan’s tyranny. To set a person free politically would not necessarily set them free from themselves--a deliverance they needed most assuredly. (Only the cross could do that.) Jesus was aware of the spiritual erosion that carnal thoughts could have upon a human mind and soul. He knew of human failures and their need for forgiveness and mercy. He knew that more people were affected by wrong thoughts than any other sickness upon the face of the earth. He knew that the mind and the spirit sickness were universal, and He came to ease them of their diseases. That is what the gospel is for; it is good news to the oppressed in mind, spirit, and body. All aspects must be delivered from Satan’s thrall. We have heard much emphasis on the physical aspect of deliverance (healing), but little upon that which really changes a man. Jesus showed this when He healed physically the ten lepers and only one took on a thankful spirit; the rest went their own way. But remember healing us from our misery is only to point us to the will of God; it is not an end in itself. The Bible teaches emphatically the necessity of having the mind renewed. Romans 12:1-2 says, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind and be not conformed to this world.” Romans 8:5 says “Mind the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh.” Colossians 1:21 says, “We were enemies in our minds.” So we must put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created it. Jesus already translated us into the kingdom of God (Col. 1:13), but we will be “transformed” only as we become doers of the Word, putting off the old man and his thoughts and putting on the new (Col.3:8-10). This is an act of will. Principalities and powers, the dark rulers of this world, want to maintain death in our thinking. They do not want to lose their grasp--their stronghold. They know that they are defeated but they also know when we are unsure of this. God has told us that to be carnally-minded is death. Every man must be persuaded in his own mind. We are commanded not to have fellowship or union with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to reprove or challenge them, questioning their authority. We have not in many instances challenged their authority, but God’s Word says they are not to rule over us. We are not to believe every spirit. We are to rule and reign through Christ Jesus right here in this life on earth. Satan shall not have dominion over you because you are Christ’s. The Sixth Chapter of Romans tells us how we are no longer under Satan’s dominion. He is the author of sin in the flesh who has held us prisoner. We have been severed from our relationship and fellowship with him through the cross of Christ. Now we are to reckon this or count this as true. Paul says, “Likewise reckon yourselves alive unto God but dead unto sin.”--Rom 6:11. We become aware of our rights and privileges in Christ. We can assert our dominion over that which has had dominance over us. Paul said “Knowing this…”--you have to know it first and then believe it. When we become aware of Satan’s activities, there is a real struggle because demonic powers do not give up their strongholds voluntarily. But darkness always gives way to light. We realize (real eyes) more and more that we do not war against flesh and blood, but against the dark rulers of this world--against, principalities and powers (Eph, 6:12). We do not war to obtain victory because Jesus already won it. We war to maintain victory. If we become passive, Satan will soon occupy any ground we give him. That is why God’s Word commands us to take on the whole (complete) armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil in the day of evil (Eph. 6:13). All of God’s armor is to protect the front, not the hinder parts, because we are not to retreat. There is no protection for the rear. Get the point? The helmet of salvation is God’s protection for our mind. We are to hold up the shield of faith whereby we may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. We must realize that Satan can only use thoughts and imaginations of doubt and fear to attempt to destroy our fellowship with God. It is when communications are cut off that fellowship is impaired and we lose the victory that God has already given us. We must dare to stand up and face our adversary, the devil. Paul said, “And in nothing be terrified by your adversary” (Phil. 1:28). Satan’s one desire is to prevent our fellowship with God. That is all he can do, and then only if we let him. He cannot affect our relationship, but he can squeeze the joy out of us if we do not have enough Spiritual perception to discern Satan at work. When a man realizes that he does not war against flesh and blood, and when he can see past circumstances and beyond people, he is on his way to enjoying the rightful victory that Jesus has procured for him. What makes it difficult is that Satan has so well trained our minds before the new birth that our mental bias in his favor. When an individual is quickened by the revelation of God’s Spirit and discerns the difference between good and evil, he begins to take his freedom. That is a miracle. If he cannot see beyond circumstances, he is left to flounder in his carnal mind. We must realize that God’s salvation is Spiritual. A man can be delivered from a bondage that no one knows about, but himself and God. He can be just as happy about his freedom as one who quits taking drugs or has been delivered from any fleshly desire. The reason that anyone takes drugs, or partakes of anything else Satan wants to destroy a person with, is invisible (spiritual) anyway. You can’t see desire, but you can see the effects of it, whether it be good or evil. If God can deal with the desire, one need not be concerned about its fruits. Jesus has laid the axe to the root where society tries to deal only with the symptoms. But if you can deal with the source, you need not be so concerned with the symptoms. Man’s real need is invisible and so is his answer. It is Spiritual in its nature. We partake of all that the Father has for us by faith. Faith realities are invisible. God’s Word is the remedy to all human problems. Faith is that faculty given by God which makes the invisible real. That is because faith is the reality that causes one to quit hoping and start believing. I know a lot of people who are hoping, but I know only a few who are believing. He that believes has, but he that hopes has not. That is because without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:1 simply says, “Now faith is.” It doesn’t say faith will be someday, but it says it already is! Hope says, “Tomorrow,” but faith says, “Now.” Isn’t it time that we learned the difference between hope and faith? To some there is no difference, but the real difference is either going away empty or having life fulfilled. Hope is a good place to begin, but only faith can equip us with the sense of entirety that our soul needs. Abraham was a pioneer because he believed God. I think God wants us to be pioneers, and then others will follow. It is downright “insanity” to do otherwise when God has provided so much. I don’t think that the scientific term “nervous breakdown” ever exists in God’s dictionary so why should it be in ours? Let us be eased from our disease. Let your mind be purged from all worldly thinking. That is what His Word is for. You have been delivered from spiritual insanity. You have the mind of Christ--just receive it and believe it!

I have often heard lengthy discussions about whether or not man is soul, spirit, or will. I am talking about the real part of man, definitely not his flesh. Sometimes words are meant to be to us from God just exactly what God shows them to be. Sometimes, because of our individuality, God wants it that way. Words have different shades of meaning. I would not want to be found guilty of bringing forth my own revelation about this matter; neither would I want to be responsible for drawing my own conclusions. I would rather have God’s understanding; any other would just be the assumption of my mind and it doesn’t understand Spiritual things. Man is actually soul, spirit, and will. But for some reason--Spiritual reason--God has revealed to me that man is “a will.” The word “will” speaks very definitely to me. Anyway, today I see God in it more than any other word. Perhaps another time I will see even greater things. Somehow when I think of the word “will,” I think of the word “freedom.” When God tells me that I am a will, He is telling me that I am free. Only God’s Word could make me free. That’s strange; I had always thought before that I was free. That’s because I did not know what freedom really was, and I guess that’s because I didn’t know God. To know Him is to be like Him; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. His Spirit, of course, is in the heart of the believer. “Freedom and deliverance come by hearing and hearing by the Word (voice) of God.” He must whisper it to your heart or it is not His Word to you at all. Man, whatever man is, is bound by sin until he hears and believes the Word of God. It seems that everything I thought about myself or about God before He revealed it to me was wrong. That’s because any thought that is not born of Him is wrong anyway-- it is born in sin. My mind had always told me that I was free to do what I willed to do. I sensed nothing wrong with this. But I was still a prisoner of sin and did not realize it. That’s because my carnal mind itself is a thing of sin. After I became a Christian, God began to talk to my heart. He pointed out the areas within me that had my will bound. It was a surprise to me. I was never aware of this before. After He showed me where I was bound and he caused me to see it plainly, He now said, “You are free; go and sin no more.” God spoke to my will and told it to go free from a bondage that before to me was non-existent. I was captive to my own desires and knew it not. I was blinded by the god of this world. It was not until I was brought to this new awareness that I enjoyed freedom for the first time of my existence. I now saw clearly that I was a will and had been living within the prison house of my own thoughts and desires. The Bible says, “By what a man is overcome by the same is he brought into bondage.”--2 Peter 2:19 It took the Word of God to usher in my deliverance because “He that commits sin is the slave of sin.”--John 8:34. I did not know that my own mind was the instrument used by Satan to hold me intact. Anything it said, I believed, mainly because I had nothing--no other knowledge--to compare it with. Jesus said when the Spirit of truth would come that He would show us the difference between good and evil (John 16:8). I had never realized such a definite need for God before, that is, until He--the Spirit of truth--came to abide within me. I now saw that my need was as big as God, and without Him I was lost within the abyss of my own desires, which were satanically driven and inspired. It seemed that the knowledge that I am a will wielded the most influence. I could now turn from Satan; and, in so doing, do the will of God. I could actually stand in the “real” position of choice. I could take the good and refuse the bad knowing the difference--something that I could not do before. I now knew good from evil, or God from Satan, or the will of the flesh from the will of the Spirit. I must know this difference in order to present my members as an instrument of righteousness. Unless the evil in me (my flesh) could be revealed, the good could not be done. I could have no real choice. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “When the Spirit of truth is come, He will show you the difference between sin and righteousness, giving unto you proper judgment”--John 16:8. When you have righteous or right discernment, it is then and only then that you are in the real place of choice! Decisions which are made outside of this place are not made with a true “sense” of choice but out of the blindness of habit. The “god of this world is blinding the minds of those who are not believing the good news of Christ.”--2 Cor.4:4 I could now stand disentangled from the pull of my own desires and see them as they are (Satan in the flesh or sin in the flesh) and now do the will of God. The thing that sets me free is this knowledge of God that I am a will and, because of Christ, free! How Satan wanted this knowledge hidden! What would happen to him if it was made known to me that I really am a will and “free” to do God’s bidding? I’ll tell you what would happen. Satan would be exposed and revealed for what he is--a liar, a usurper, a pretender, and a deceiver. He would lose his influence because it is like Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”--John 8:32 We are not to misunderstand this statement and proudly declare like the Pharisees, “We are not in bondage, neither have we been bound to any man.” We are to have the eyes of our heart opened so that we may behold things as they really are in the mind of God, not just in the mind of man which is sensual and devilish. They did not know the very moment they made that statement Satan was blinding their minds and mocking them by their own answer. Jesus said, “He that commits sin is the servant of sin.”--John 8:34. To make it plainer, “The deeds you do and allow, and the thoughts you think because of your ignorance, are because you are obeying Satan and you are his slaves. When you follow your own desires, you are following Satan.” They did not know good from evil (God from the devil). Without Christ they really had no choice. If they would have been honest in their hearts, they could have believed the real Master and walked to freedom. Because they chose to listen to the voice of their own understanding--the voice of their own mind--the voice of Satan, they died in their sins just as Jesus said. They remained dead in their sins . The Spirit of truth or Christ in you--the only hope of Glory--now dwells within so as to reveal to us who we really are. This puts us in the place where we do not have to obey the dictates of our flesh which have been directed by Satan. We can now know good from evil and exercise proper judgment. The prince of this world is cast out--our will is free!

When a person tries to memorize the things of God, they are only putting it in their mind. But God will bring to our remembrance everything we need to know. We don’t learn from God or about the things of God the way we learn with our mind. That’s simply because God is Spirit and the mind is carnal and of this world. The realm of God is a foreign realm to the mind. The mind can’t even imagine the things of God. It is beyond its capability. All things necessary to know must be revealed. For instance, why must I be born again? Simply because the Bible tells me I cannot enter the kingdom of God unless I am. Also I cannot perceive the things of the Spirit in my first estate because in it I am flesh. The Bible tells me flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God. God’s realm is the realm of the Spirit. Jesus plainly stated to Nicodemus and in his conversation with the woman of Samaria that God is Spirit. He is like the wind--He is invisible. That’s why I must become born again so that I might become Spirit and enter God’s realm--the realm of Spiritual things. Flesh and blood is not capable of knowing God, but I am capable because Christ in me is my capability. But Christ is no longer flesh--He is the “Spirit of Truth” and a Spirit has not flesh and bone according to Jesus. Flesh, which appears to me as everything, becomes as nothing when compared to the reality of the Spirit. My flesh cries out and says, “Recognize me, I am reality, the life is in me.” But Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing.” I do not wish to be nothing, so I will identify with Christ as my new life and I find my significance in Him. I am only complete in Him! The Bible says that the flesh is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. I do want to live so I will abide where true life is found--in God. If there is life only in the Spirit, then I cannot live in the flesh, because that’s not God’s realm. In fact, Paul says in Romans 8:8-9, “Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be the Spirit of God lives in you,” and “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” To live in the identity of the flesh is to live in lies, and I do not wish to live a lie. But I must claim this new life for my own. That’s what being born again does for me; it makes me a new creature in the Father and in the Son because they are one. If I am new, then I am no longer the old. All of the old things have passed away--they are gone. They died when Jesus died. I need not worry about dying now because the old man has already died with Christ and Christ has given me eternal life. My flesh doesn’t have eternal life, but the real me--the one Peter calls the hidden man of the heart does. Where is this hidden man? Paul says in Colossians that he is hid with Christ in God. So I have already passed from death into life and that’s what the Bible calls Life in the Spirit.