Spiritual Perception

*** Note:  Before I get started, I want to make you aware that Isabella and I are traveling to the Dominican Republic today.  We have a busy next few days planned.  We are going to visit the children in our two schools and look at a few parcels of land.  Right now we have the children in two locations we are renting out.  RIPMinistries plans to purchase land and build a school large enough to house all the children in one location.  The school will also have a chapel.  Please keep us and this project in prayer.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Focusing on Dying To Self”.  A couple of weeks ago I introduced you to the following passage and we began to walk our way through it.  Let’s get back to it today and continue.

The Apostle Paul said, “The love of Christ controls us, because we know that one person died for everyone.  So all have died.  He died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves.  He died for them and was raised from death so that they would live for him.  From this time on we don’t think of anyone as the world thinks of people.  It is true that in the past we thought of Christ as the world thinks.  But we don’t think that way now.  When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world.  The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new!” (2 Cor 5:14-17 ERV).

Today I am going to focus in on the line: “But we don’t think that way now.”  After juxtaposing the way the world thinks with the way we are supposed to think as Born-Again believers, Paul reiterates the message by telling us that “we don’t think that way now.”  We don’t think like we used to think.  We don’t live like we used to live.  We don’t SEE things the same way we used to.  Understanding this truth is absolutely critical, because your ability to SEE in the Spirit is foundational for everything you do in Christ.  You will only be able to RECEIVE on the level that you are able to PERCEIVE!

So what does this mean to you today?  I have two main points.

1.  Your ability to SEE Spiritually will dictate what you are able to release your faith for.

a.  God gives us all He gives us by His unearned grace.  His plans are set and His resources are stored up.  God’s part is already done by grace.  Our part must be done by faith.  God requires us to use our faith to access His grace.

b.  Where there is no grace there can be no faith.  Faith begins where the will of God is known.  In order to release faith you must be able to discern what God has already given you by grace.

c.  Divine revelation is the authorization for your faith.  Once God reveals to you what He already gave you (in eternity), you can release your faith to access it (in time).

d.  If you can’t SEE (or discern) what God has given you, you don’t know what to release your faith for.

e.  Faith is not you coming up with something and then asking God to give it to you.  Faith is you perceive what is yours and then coming in agreement with it.  Faith is discerning, accepting and then pursuing God’s will over your own.

*** None of this is possible if you are not able to SEE Spiritually.

2.  Your ability to SEE Spiritually will directly impact what you are able to accomplish with God and what God is able to accomplish through you.

a.  When you are Born-Again God’s Spirit takes up residence inside of you and the Father expects you to learn to be led of the Spirit.

b.  The Father never expected your post-conversion conduct to equal your pre-conversion conduct.  You are a new man and the Father expects you to LIVE in your new reality.

c.  God did not give you His Spirit so you could continue to think the way you were thinking and live the way you were living.

d.  God gave you His Spirit so you could know: 1) The plans He made for you before the world began, 2) What He is thinking on a daily basis, and 3) How to accomplish what He is leading  you to do.

e.  It will be difficult for you to receive what you cannot perceive.  You must be able to see it to be it.  You must be able to perceive it to achieve it.  The more you can see, the more God can do through you.

I have a lot more to say about this.  I will stop here for today.  

Closing Confession:  Father, this is a season of refined focus for me.  I bring my life into focus in 2016.  I have accepted Jesus as my Lord.  Your Spirit has taken up residence inside of me.  I am Born from above.  I am a Spiritual man.  I am a heavenly citizen living in the earth.  I am an Ambassador of Heaven in this world.  I receive my instructions for You.  I receive daily downloads from headquarters.  You speak to me daily and throughout the day.  I am able to discern Your will and accomplish it by faith.  I can SEE who You called me to be.  I can SEE what You want me to do.  I can SEE how to get it done.  These are not things I learn, these are things I discern.  I live by my ability to SEE.  I SEE what You have given me by grace and I pursue those things with my faith!  I declare this by faith.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

This is Today’s Word!  Apply it and Prosper.