I spent the past few days at a combined men’s and women’s conference. My life was so impacted that I am going to do something I have never done before. I have been writing Today’s Word for almost 18 years and in that span I have attended countless conferences. But I have never been led to share my conference notes with you. For the next few days I will share some of my notes and thoughts from the conference. Today the notes/thoughts will come from a message delivered by Pastor Ron Carpenter of Redemption Church in Greenville, SC.
So what does this mean to you today? We will see. I will share a few thoughts the Lord shared through Pastor Ron and then provide a few of my thoughts as well.
1. The unseen is the superior realm.
a) Living by faith is living your life based on a reality you cannot see in this world (with natural eyes).
b) Living by faith is living on the earth in sync with heaven.
c) Just because you cannot see something with natural eyes, it does not mean it’s not there. Actually, everything you can see in this world came from the world you cannot see. The writer of Hebrews said it this way, “Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen” (Heb 11:3).
d) Faith enables you to see into the realm of the unseen. That why Paul said, “So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Cor 4:18).
e) The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is natural sight. That’s why Paul said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7). As believers we choose to live our lives by faith; living off of a reality that cannot be seen with natural eyes. Faith peers into the realm of the unseen and makes decisions based on that realm in this realm.
2. Jesus came to get us out of everything Adam got us into.
a) Adam operated as God’s representative in the earth. God made everything that is seen by speaking words. When Adam was introduced in the earth he ruled, not with his hands, but with his words, just like God. Now that Jesus came to restore that which was lost, we must carefully measure our words. Words matter.
b) Creation went around for 5 days without knowing what it was. Nothing knew what it was until Adam told it what it was. Adam revealed identity. Likewise, I went around this earth for 23 years not knowing who I was. It was not until I discovered Jesus that I was able to discover myself. Jesus revealed to me my true identity.
c) You cannot impact that unseen world with your hands, but you can with your words.
d) When Adam sinned and he was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, he was then trapped in a world that would not respond to him. When Jesus came He had what Adam lost. So the world responded to Jesus’ words.
e) The disciples, along with the Pharisees and Sadducees, were amazed that the earth responded to what Jesus said. Jesus spoke to things just like Adam did.
f) Many of us are complaining about things we should be speaking to!
3. Our war is not to win, but rather to occupy.
a) We are not trying to win. Jesus already won. Satan is already defeated. Our role now is not to win, but to occupy.
b) The fight of faith is to occupy, to lay hold of, what Jesus already won for us.
c) Jesus won and He gives us access to His victory, freely, by grace. We lay hold of it with our faith.
d) Your role of your faith is to lay hold of every promise, all the power, and all the wisdom, you need in the earth, to make the impact Jesus already provided for you by grace. He did it… that’s grace. He now sends you to do it… that requires faith.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. I live by faith and not by sight. Everyday, I fix my eyes on the realm of the unseen. The unseen is more real to me that what I see every day. When I see healing in the unseen, I am not moved by sickness in the seen. When I see provision in the unseen, I am not moved by lack in the seen. When I see victory in the unseen, I am not moved by opposition in the seen. Jesus came to restore everything Adam lost. Like You, and Like Jesus, I dominate my world with my words. I speak life and not death, blessing and not cursing, victory and never defeat, success and never failure. My faith enables me to see all You have already won for me, and I then speak what I see. Jesus already provided the victory. I now enter this day with a mindset of faith that is focused on occupying everything You have already provided! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
