THE SPIRIT OF FAITH

The scripture states in 2 Corinthians 4:13, 14:

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. (Italics added for emphasis).

The term "Spirit of Faith," as used in the verse above, can be viewed and understood in many ways, and, in fact, much has been taught about this phrase by many ministers of the Gospel. Brother Kenneth Copeland has referred to this "Spirit of Faith" as an "overcoming, winning attitude."

Now the thing that I want to talk to you about is the Spirit of Faith. Now this is not talking about the Holy Spirit, it’s not talking about your spirit, its not talking about a spirit ‘personality’ here. It’s using the phrase ‘the Spirit of Faith’ the same way you would use the phrase ‘espirit de corps;’ the ‘spirit of the corps;’ the ‘spirit of the team;’ the ‘team spirit;’ the ‘school spirit;’ you know what I’m talking about? (Copeland: The Spirit of Faith: The Spirit of Faith Teaching Tape Series)

Brother Copeland points out that the "Spirit of Faith" he is describing is not a "spirit" in the sense of being a specific spirit personality, but can be viewed as an attitude:

I want you to see part of this Spirit of Faith, this attitude of faith...the attitude of faith is so, so important to the life of the believer. The Bible says that you need the spirit of your mind renewed in the Book of Ephesians, it tells us to renew the spirit of our mind. What’s the spirit of your mind? That’s your attitude! Renew your attitude! How do you do that? You do it with God’s Word! You need a winning attitude, you need a faith attitude. Your attitude about things ought to be like Jesus’ attitude. (Copeland: A Winning Attitude of Faith: The Spirit of Faith Teaching Tape Series)

Brother Copeland further explains his view on the Spirit of Faith as a "winning attitude" by comparing the spiritual activity and lifestyle of a believer to the manifestation of "satanic activity" in the lifestyle of a sinner:

"I believe therefore have I spoken." Now there are a lot of people, that a lot of places and a lot of times say, "Well, those guys talk about that confession stuff, and that speaking stuff all the time, that’s just all they talk about!" Well that’s because we’re involved with the Spirit of Faith. We’re in the spirit of the thing. I mean, I’m caught up with the spirit of it. Of course, the Spirit that’s Lord over it, is the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of Faith! And when you get around Him you just act and talk that way. You can go into any nation of the world, and I don’t care what language they speak, they all act just alike. And did you know that they all (also) act just like the devil...just alike? Wherever you go, you can spot the devil. He acts the same way when he’s drunk. He acts the same way when he’s on drugs...a human being, whether he speaks English, German, French, Swahili, or "Gabi-Gabi," or anything else that you can find. Or one that just stands around and grunts and moans...will act the same way when he’s drunk. He’ll act the same way when he’s on drugs. He’ll act the same way when he’s overcome by some kind of an emotion. He’ll act the same way when he’s mad. He’ll act the same way under any influence of satan. The spirit of that thing is all the same, all over the world. And by the same token, they act the same way when they get born again. They act the same way when they go to praising God in other tongues. They act the same way when the Spirit of God comes on the scene. And you teach them how to operate in faith and go to talking about faith and they’ll go just as nutty somewhere else as they do here… its the same Spirit of Faith! It’s the same Spirit, led by the same one! Thank God! (Copeland: The Spirit of Faith: The Spirit of Faith Teaching Tape Series)

While this view no doubt has instructional value and is an important aspect of this scripture reference, it is not the actual, literal translation of this verse. We can infer that the Spirit of Faith is simply an attitude, but we can not concretely say that it can, and should, only be viewed as an attitude of the heart. In the quotation above, Brother Copeland says that the "Spirit" that is Lord over this attitude is the Holy Spirit of God. We need to dig deeper into the actual meaning of this verse in the original language.

The Greek Definition

In fact, the phrase "Spirit of Faith" used in 2 Corinthians 3:14 is translated as follows from the original Greek:

Spirit
4151 pneuma (pnyoo'-mah);
from 4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit:
KJV-- ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare 5590.
of
3588 ho (ho);
including the feminine he (hay); and the neuter to (to); in all their inflections; the def. article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):
KJV-- the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc..
Faith
4102 pistis (pis'-tis);
from 3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:
KJV-- assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity. (Biblesoft: PC Study Bible: Strong’s Concordance)

In other words, the term " Spirit of Faith" begins with a word that is actually translated directly as a personality such as the spirit of a man, or the Spirit of God. This word simply means "spirit," and, if we examine the context, it must be a "spirit" that we can all share as believers. That is, we are each individually unique spirits in the concrete sense. Each of us is a separate and unique human spirit, we each have a soul, and we each live in a separate physical body.

Tripartite Man

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

This scripture indicates that the "whole" man is composed of the spirit, the soul and the body. E.W. Kenyon refers to this fact in his book,The Hidden Man of the Heart: An Unveiling of the Subconcious Mind:

Here are some spirit facts: man is a spirit, he has a soul. The soul is composed of his reasoning faculties. He lives in a physical body. The physical body possesses the five senses, they are the educators and teachers of the brain. (Kenyon: The Hidden Man of the Heart: 8)

Kenyon explains that this totality of the "tripartite man" can be recognized in the training and growth of the human being from birth through life.

In the babe we see purely the physical. Then as the child’s mind begins to reach out and becomes inquisitive, the child becomes simply mind and body to us.
We are careful to feed its body, to build it up, to train the mind and make it efficient, but who has ever taught or trained the spirit?
We heard much in psychological discussions about the subconscious mind. At first we were thrilled with it. Then we discovered that it was nothing but our own spirit.
We found that the conscience is the voice of the spirit, reason is the voice of our mind, and feelings are the voice of our body. (Kenyon: The Hidden Man of the Heart: 25, 26)

To support this truth further, John Osteen relates in his book, How to Flow in the Super Supernatural, "You are a spirit. You have a soul. You live in a body." So, we see, that the "real you" is a unique spirit man. The "real you" has, or possesses, a soul, which can be referred to as "the mind, will and emotions," and lives in a physical body.
Yet, no one can know another man’s spirit in the natural. That is, it is impossible to "read the mind" (or the spirit) of another outside of supernatural activity beyond the operation of the five natural senses. The following scripture makes this clear in 1 Corinthians 2:9-12:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

The "heart" and the "spirit" are synonymous. Quoting Brother E.W. Kenyon again:

Psychology has to do with the mind, and the New Birth has to do with the "hidden man of the heart," or the spirit of man. (Kenyon: The Hidden Man of the Heart: 7)

His reference to "hidden man of the heart" is from this scripture reference:

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (1 Peter 3:3, 4, emphasis added.)

As we see, the reference to the term "heart" is, indeed, synonymous with the word "spirit" in the same verse.
No one can "know" the things that are in another man’s spirit, but we can know the things that are freely given to us of the Spirit of God. Why is this? Because God has placed His Own Spirit within each of us that are born again! We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, which is the earnest of our inheritance.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13, 14)

That is why the scripture can assert that we have access to the things that are in God’s Spirit. As we noted in 1 Corinthians 2:12:

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

We have each, as believers, received the Holy Spirit of God, therefore, when we review the context and translation of 2 Corinthians 4:13, we must conclude that if Paul asserts that we (implying all the believers that he was addressing) have the same Spirit of Faith, then this Spirit must, in fact, be the Holy Spirit. There is no other common spirit personality that we can all share.
Given this fact, what conclusion can we draw? We must realize that the attitude that Brother Copeland refers to as a "winning, overcoming attitude" must be the result of the Spirit of God operating in the believer. The "Spirit of Faith" is an outward manifestation of the inward operation and manifestation of the Spirit of God.

The Operation of the Spirit of Faith

Now, let’s examine what the results of the "Spirit of Faith’s" operation is in this scripture:

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak...
(2 Corinthians 4:13).

"I believed, and therefore have I spoken..." Apparently, the Holy Spirit’s operation in the believer’s life, producing this winning attitude, also produces an unction to speak out words of faith. Let us remember our definition of the word "pistis," or "faith," from Strong’s Concordance:

from 3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:
KJV-- assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity. (Biblesoft: PC Study Bible: Strong’s Concordance)

Note the fact that "pistis" is a "persuasion", and it also implies "constancy in such profession." It would seem that confession, or speaking one’s faith, or beliefs, is a key part of what it means to be a believer, and certainly one that operates in this "Spirit of Faith."

The first and most fundamental fact these verses (2 Corinthians 4:13-18) reveal about the spirit of faith is that itbelieves.
What does it believe? The Word of God. What’s more, faith believes God’s Word just because God said it -- whether natural circumstances seem to agree or not.
That means if you want to maintain a spirit of faith in the area of healing, for example, you must start by getting your Bible and finding out what God has said about healing. (Gloria Copeland: The Unbeatable Spirit of Faith: 6, 7)

The Spirit of Faith believes the Word of God in spite of what the circumstances say, then it speaks what God’s Word says about the circumstance or situation.

That’s what the spirit of faith does. It stands in the midst of the most impossible circumstances and believes God anyway! Then it begins to speak. (Gloria Copeland: The Unbeatable Spirit of Faith: 11)

The Spirit of Faith, then, can be viewed as operating in a prevailing attitude of victory that arises from the fact that the Holy Spirit of God within us is at work bringing the Word of God in our lives to pass. You must live by faith, walk by faith and talk by faith. Then you will be living in the Spirit of Faith.

Right now you may be thinking, I really want to walk and talk by faith. The problem is, every time I look at the mess I’m in, I get discouraged.
Then stop looking at the mess! Instead, focus your attention on the promise of God. Keep His Word in front of your eyes and in your ears until you see it coming to pass with the eyes of your spirit.
That’s what the spirit of faith does. It looks "not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Of course, I’m not saying you should ignore your problems or close you eyes to them as if they aren’t real. They are real. But according to the Word they are temporal. That means subject to change. And you can be assured that if you keep looking at the Word, they will change! (Gloria Copeland: The Unbeatable Spirit of Faith: 15, 16)

The Importance of Speaking

Our key scripture in our study of the Spirit of Faith in 2 Corinthians 4:13 says that:

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak...

From what we have learned from the Word during the recent "Word of Faith," or "Teaching Revival;" what we say is what comes to pass in our lives. This principle is at the heart of "faith teaching." We are to believe in our heart and confess with our mouth.

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:8, 9)

This is the very essence of "the Word of Faith," which we preach! Now the Spirit of Faith compels us to speak our faith!

He said here that faith has a spirit about it. Well to find out what the spirit of something is, you just listen to it speak for a little bit and you’ll find out what the spirit is that prevails over it. How does it speak, how does it act? How does it walk, how does it conduct itself? What does it do? What prevails when more than one faith person comes together, what is the spirit that prevails in that place? How do they all act? They’ll all act the same way if its all the same faith. If they all have faith in the same thing then they are all going to act the same way when they come together. (Copeland: The Spirit of Faith: The Spirit of Faith Teaching Tape Series)

People who act in faith, speak the Word, and live the "faith life" are the one’s that overcome in life!
We will see further confirmation of these truths with regard to the Spirit of Faith as we explore the scriptures verse by verse in 2 Corinthians Chapters Three through Five to see the meaning of this term within context in the writings of Paul in Chapter Four of this dissertation. Before we move on to that examination, we need to establish a correlation between the Spirit of God and the Glory of God. 

The Voice of God-Spiritual Sensitivity

How does God speak?

Hear God’s Voice

how does God speak?

People everywhere yearn to hear God’s voice. Is God speaking to us? Is it possible to hear His voice? Does God want us to hear His voice? How does God speak? How are we to listen?

God is speaking, and we can hear His voice. Christianity is a relationship; every relationship is established and maintained through communication. It is vital that we learn to hear God’s voice, so that we may deepen our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Jesus said to His Father, “This is life eternal, that they [believers] might know thee [God] the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). It is God’s plan for us to know Him intimately; therefore, we must learn to hear His voice.

God Speaks to Us in Many Ways

Our creative God is not limited to one form of communication. He is all-powerful; He is omnipresent; He is sovereign. The Bible is filled with accounts of God speaking to individuals, to families, and to nations. In the past He spoke in many different ways, and that is true today as well.

God speaks to all men through creation (see Romans 1:18–20 and Psalm 19:1–2), and in the past, God has communicated in various ways, including angels, His chosen spokesmen (prophets), dreams, visions, miracles, and even through a donkey that He enabled to speak as a man speaks! (See Luke 1:5–38, II Samuel 24:10–25, Genesis 40:1–23, Daniel 2:1–45, Acts 9:10–18, Exodus 7:8–11:10, and Numbers 22:21–35.)

On numerous occasions, the Bible records that God’s voice was heard, but the exact way in which His voice was heard is not described. Following are a few examples of such descriptions:

• “God spake unto Noah, saying” (Genesis 8:15).
• “The Lord had said unto Abram …”(Genesis 12:1).
• “The Lord said unto Moses …” (Exodus 24:12).
• “Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah …” (Isaiah 38:4).

God Spoke to Us Through His Son

When Jesus was on the earth, God spoke to us through Him, and when Jesus returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to lead us into all truth—to be our “communicator” from God. (See Matthew 10:18–20; John 14:26, 16:7–8, 13; Romans 8:26; I Corinthians 2:9–16; and Acts 8:29, 13:2.)

If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, but it is still necessary to nurture your relationship with your heavenly Father in order to learn how to be attentive to His voice.As you grow in faith and mature as a believer, you will learn to hear God speak. Jesus said,“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

God Speaks to Us Through His Word

The Bible is one of God’s provisions to equip us to do His will. (See II Timothy 3:16–17.) God’s Word is alive; it is active in our lives. The Bible is an absolutely essential part of your walk with God. You must not neglect His Word. It is one way that He speaks to you personally, powerfully—today. (See I Thessalonians 1:5, 2:13.)

Read the Word, memorize the Word, and meditate on the Word. By His Holy Spirit, Who dwells in each believer, God will focus your attention on particular scripture (See John 14:26.) They will have special application to your life because of decisions you are facing, character goals you are working on, questions you have, or pressures you are experiencing. As you meditate on those verses to which the Spirit of God leads you, and obey them, God will guide you in “paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).

Not only are we to have a growing relationship with the Lord through His Word, but we also should be ready to give an answer to others whenever necessary. (See I Peter 3:15–16.) When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responded to the devil’s temptations by quoting truth from God’s Word. (See Matthew 4:1–11.)We must learn the truth, which is found in the Word of God and also is identified as the “sword of the Spirit.” With the sword of the Spirit, we can defeat the enemy of our souls, and as we “put on the whole armor of God,” we can “stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

Honoring and obeying God’s Word is a key to hearing God’s voice. Through obedience, we demonstrate our love for God, and failure to obey is a reflection of a rebellious heart. If we resist His Word, our fellowship with God will be limited. Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. … If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21, 23–24).

We Must Believe What the Bible Says

The Bible says that God guides us. (See Isaiah 30:21; Psalm 32:8, 48:14, 73:24; John 16:13, and Deuteronomy 4:9–11.) Are you willing to believe God’s Word? If so, then your heart is prepared to hear God speak. If you reject what the Bible says, then it is likely that you will be unable to hear God speak, because of your unbelief. (See Matthew 13:57–58; Mark 6:5–7, 16:9–20; Hebrews 3:7–19; and I Timothy 1:12–16.)

If you are not hearing God’s voice, examine your heart. The Bible says, “Examine [scrutinize, discipline] yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove [test, approve] your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates [unapproved, rejected, worthless]?” (II Corinthians 13:5). Ask the Lord to reveal to you anything that is hindering your relationship with Him, and then obey Him. Ask God to give you ears to hear, and a pure heart. (See Matthew 13:43, Mark 4:9, Matthew 5:8, II Timothy 2:22, and Psalm 24:3–5.)

God’s Children Can Hear His Voice

Are you born again? Have you asked God to forgive you for your rebellion against Him and His Word? Have you in repentance made a change of mind, heart, and direction in your life? If so, then you can hear God’s voice, because you are His child. If you are not a child of God, then cry out to Him for salvation, and He will hear your cry. He will forgive you of your rebellion, and He will accept you into His kingdom, as His child. (See John 3:1–21 and Romans 10:9–17.)

God Speaks to Us Through Our Prayers

God also speaks to us when we pray. Unfortunately, many of us have the mistaken idea that the purpose of prayer is to change God’s mind. We think, “If I can just plead with God long enough and hard enough, He’ll give me what I’m asking for.” Prayer is not a way to twist God’s arm.

Prayer is God’s means of getting through to us, so that we can do things for Him! As we pray, God takes our focus off of our needs and puts our focus on His love and His power. Through prayer, God changes our perspective to conform to His purposes; He establishes His priorities for our lives; He leads us into all truth.

God Often Speaks in a “Still, Small Voice”

At a time when the prophet Elijah was discouraged and depressed, God spoke to him:“And he [God] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he … went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? ” (I Kings 19:11–13). Sometimes God will speak through “the wind or an earthquake or a fire,” but most often He speaks in a still, small voice. Be attentive!

When we pray, God will hear, and He will answer us with “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” Hearing God’s clear answers to our petitions is essential. As you spend time with your heavenly Father through prayer, and as you learn to know Him through His Word, you will hear His voice; you will learn to view the circumstances of your life with discernment and perceive God’s answers to your prayers. God always answers our prayers, but unfortunately we do not always recognize His answers. That takes practice.

God Speaks Through Circumstances

You must be diligent to seek God and to be attentive to His work in every facet of your life, because another way that God speaks to us is through our circumstances. As you focus on the Lord, especially during difficult or painful circumstances, God can show you Hisperspective about your circumstances. Rather than trying to figure out everything, equipped only with our limited knowledge and understanding, we can acknowledge the Lord in all of our ways and rely on His love for us, His sovereignty, and goodwill. (See Proverbs 3:3–13 and Romans 8:26–32.) He is totally trustworthy.

God Speaks Through Others

The Bible records many instances in which God used one individual to deliver His message to another individual. (See I Samuel 13:13–14, 15:23; II Samuel 12:7–15; and Acts 9:10–18, 10:1–33.) God may speak to you through another individual—a friend, a parent, a pastor, even a stranger. You would be wise toconfirm what you hear God saying by seeking affirmation of that direction through wise, Godly people.

One of the best places to find individuals who can give you Godly counsel is your local church. Even if your fellow church members do not directly give you counsel, God can use their words to reveal or confirm His will, as the Holy Spirit works in your lives. Also, as a member of a local church, you can observe what God is saying to the entire church. God often will direct you personally through the input of others who are regularly in Christian fellowship with you.

With God, Nothing Is Impossible!

God is not limited in any way. He is not restricted to certain methods of communication with His children. Just as He creatively and dramatically used a donkey to rebuke Balaam, God can just as creatively and dramatically communicate His message to your heart as you hear someone else pray, as you read a testimony included in your church newsletter, or as you suddenly understand the full meaning of a song you hear. With God, nothing is impossible! (See Luke 1:37.)

You Can Avoid Deception From Satan

Many believers fear that they will be deceived by Satan’s voice. However, God’s children can confidently identify His voice when He speaks.The way to avoid deception is to learn to recognize God’s voice well. Then, if Satan tries to counterfeit God’s voice, you will immediately recognize it as a deception.

In John 10:14, 27–28, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. … My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ”Stay as close as possible to the Shepherd, and you will always know if He is the One whose voice you hear.

Hear God’s Voice

Read your Bible; study it to learn God’s ways. Meditate on Scripture. Make yourself available to God through prayer. Worship the Lord. Be still in His presence. Invest in your relationship with your heavenly Father. (See Psalm 119:105, 77:12; I Thessalonians 5:17; II Timothy 1:3; Psalm 29:2; John 4:23–24; and Psalm 46:10.) Be attentive to the ways God is leading you as a member of a local church. Heed the Godly counsel of trustworthy fellow believers. As you do, you will learn to recognize God’s voice.

There is no shortcut to learning to recognize God’s voice, just as there is no shortcut to mature from infancy to adulthood—it takes time. Do you want to hear God’s voice? Then spend time with Him. The more you are with Him, the better you will know His voice.“Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13:16).

Maturity Requires Discipline and Obedience

“The depth of your walk with God is directly proportional to the zeal with which you seek him. If you seek after God in a halfhearted, inconsistent manner, you cannot expect to hear him speaking at the deepest levels. But if you will discipline yourself to concentrate on the Lord and if you diligently obey everything he says, then you will be prepared to experience God at an increasingly profound and personal level. God has invited you to go deeper in your relationship with him. The depth of that relationship ultimately rests with you.” (Henry and Richard Blackaby, Hearing God’s Voice, page 246)

God Keeps His Promises!

God made this promise to His people: “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). God keeps His promises. Seek Him with all of your heart, and you will hear His voice.

For an in-depth discussion of this topic (including many personal testimonies about hearing God’s voice), we recommend Henry and Richard Blackaby’s book titled Hearing God’s Voice (Broadman and Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2002), as well as Henry Blackaby’s book titledExperiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God(Broadman and Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1998).

Epignosko

THE POWER OF INSPIRED AND REVEALED KNOWLEDGE

Isa. 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

There are two kinds of failures in life:

    * people that don't know; and
    * people that are lazy to do what they know.

Today, I want to deal with the first problem ― ignorance. If you are in that category, I want you to meditate on this message continually until you internalize it. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" John 8:32.



The height to which you can grow to in life, depends on what you know. Ignorance is what will hinder you from getting whatever you have desired in life. Knowledge is what separates the weak from the mighty; the rich from the poor; and winners from losers. The highest level of knowledge you have will determine the kind of results you will get from life.



THREE LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE



1. SENSE KNOWLEDGE:

Any human being that has their five senses working can access this first level. Most of the knowledge that form and govern human life, operates at this realm. People that operate in this realm are natural men. If all you can see is with your physical eye, then you are blind. If your ear is the only instrument you have for hearing, then you are really deaf. Discussions are going on now around the world but once you have the right receiver (cable TV, satellite decoder, mobile phone, etc.) you can decode it and give your ear mind-boggling abilities. We live in a world full of limitations.



I have done several intensive studies on men that have shaped the world. Several of them were inventors or were notable for some great accomplishment. What amazes me about these men are that they usually have the ability to look beyond the senses into a higher dimension ― REVELATION.



2. REVELATION KNOWLEDGE:

Revelation is hearing, touching, and seeing the intangible. In the Bible, when Jesus says "Let him that has an ear hear , ", He's referring to this level of insight. If you can see the invisible, you can do the impossible. It is perceiving what is not obvious. The realm of creativity, inventions, prophesy, etc. operates beyond the physical level. The spiritual world is more real than the physical world.



If you cannot step beyond your head, reasoning or emotion, you will not go far in life. When you wake up on Sunday morning and your emotion tells you that you cannot make it to church, forget it, it’s a lie. Why do things like this happen? Because in the physical world there is a lot of deception.



E.g. If you see someone shivering at room temperature, there is something wrong. But with your natural eye even if the person is cut open, you won't see anything. Yet over time, doctors who have believed in the invisible, trust that if they can inject something into the person's blood that will exercise dominion over the sickness. That invisible thing causing the sickness, they now call pathogens.



The brain is divided into compartments. There is the right brain that operates in the level of revelation knowledge. This is the part of the brain inventors develop. While the left brain is what deals with the sense knowledge. This is what formal education develops.



People that become wealthy are people that can tap into the intangible. This is what people like the Jews have discovered. Real wealth is portable. The spiritual world controls this physical realm. And for any invisible phenomenon that men decode, they give it a name e.g. radio waves, bacteria, etc. The parts of the invisible they haven't yet decoded remains a mystery to them. In the past, such mysteries were revered as gods e.g. thunder, rain, giant trees, etc.



If Africa will develop, we have to move more of our people to this level of knowledge. Africa is still at the bottom of the world economic chart because for ages Africans have operated at the level of the things they can see. E.g. Congo DRC signed agreements during their struggle for independence, that everything below six feet was for the Belgians while things above that level were for the indigenes. Fifty years later, DRC Congo which for decades has been the world's richest producer of diamonds and other important natural resources in the world yet her indigenes still living in squalor. A big regret for generations to come.



A lot of things happen to people whose spiritual eyes are blind. The eye that sees the invisible is on your inside. In the realm of the spirit, your physical eyes are like a mere decoration. It takes people that can tap into the unseen to create products,



There are a lot of things hanging in the spiritual realm but many of us don’t know how to download it.

The reason for the entrance of the Holy Spirit in your life is to give you the ability to ascend on high.



3. SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE:

This is the third and highest level. This is the level where people's lives are changed totally. This level occurs at the Throne Room, at the Mercy Seat, in the Presence of God. This is the form of knowledge that feels like eating in the spiritual realm not just learning.



Moses' Tabernacle had three levels of light:

   1. Outer court: - the illumination here is the sunlight, this symbolizes the natural realm/senses.
   2. Holy Place: the illumination here is from the seven lamp-stands, this symbolizes the illumination that comes from the spirit of man ignited by God's spirit.
   3. Holy of Holies: the illumination here is the Shekinah glory, this symbolizes knowledge through intimacy with God. The only compares of this kind of communion in our physical world is sex.



This is the experience. When you move into the holy place, away from the distractions of the would you can be able to see the glory of God. This is the Shekinah glory of God. In this level, spiritual energy is infused into you and without the natural way of assimilating knowledge. This level fixes the truth into your spirit.



Any area of your life where you are deficient in, do a fast in that area. E.g. There is what is called a Jesus fast. Cut off all distractions and start searching for Jesus. You can go to the Old Testament and search for all occurrences of Him. As you do this, you will discover Christ in a new dimension. You can do a Holy Spirit fast, a wisdom fast, or whatever. What fasting does is to remove the tares for the seed to grow. It is like preparing a forest for a fresh planting season.



Do you want to know Jesus, then feast on Him. This is more than hearing a sermon or reading a book.

The key to the third level is COMMUNION. This is what we demonstrate when we come to the communion table. It is similar to what mosquitoes and witches do ― suck blood. But this time, we are sucking the life of the Father into your spirit. What happens is that this thing flows into your being like waves, radiation. When it enters you, your life changes. This is the same thing that Paul meant in 2nd Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."



This was what Moses experienced when he was with the Principal not just the principles for 40 days. The Word is a person. Feasting on Him is how you produced men that know God (men that are carriers of God's presence) not men that know about God.



Dan 11:32 " … but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."



    PRAYER

    Holy Spirit, I want to know you. I want to be one with you. The scripture says that if I'm joined with the Lord, I shall be one Spirit with you. I want intercourse and union with you. I want to experience you feeling my being. Take me to that realm of fellowship, friendship, oneness, koinonia and communion with you. To know you is the greatest treasure of life. Open my eyes to know you, to know my savior and to know my father.

     

    Open my eyes that I might see. Open the eyes of my understanding. Give me the illumination that comes from inside, that eye that can discover and create things. Give me that eye that can discern and understand . Give me that inner eye that can see beyond what is obvious and key into opportunities. Anoint me with the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

     

    Father, break the bread of life. Let all of us experience communion by feeding from the substance of your being. Cause us to rise to the realm where we live by you and your life manifests in our whole being and world. I want more of you and none of me, in Jesus' name.