*** NOTE: I will NOT be able to send out Today’s Word tomorrow. I will be on a flight that will take me through the night, so unfortunately I won’t be able to share the message. I will pick it up on Friday morning.
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with an emphasis on “Focusing on God’s Finished Work”. For a couple of days now we have been looking at Romans 4 and Ecclesiastes 3:15 combined. I want us to go back to both this morning with a special emphasis on how we, by faith, are able to align our lips with what God enables us to see in the Spirit. Let’s get to it. The Bible says:
“I have made you a father of many nations.” This is true before God, the one Abraham believed—the God who gives life to the dead and who calls those things that are not as though they are.
There was no hope that Abraham would have children, but Abraham believed God and continued to hope. And that is why he became the father of many nations. As God told him, “You will have many descendants.” Abraham was almost a hundred years old, so he was past the age for having children. Also, Sarah could not have children. Abraham was well aware of this, but his faith in God never became weak. He never doubted that God would do what he promised. He never stopped believing. In fact, he grew stronger in his faith and just praised God. Abraham felt sure that God was able to do what he promised.” (Romans 4:16-21)
“That which is has already been, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by [so that history repeats itself].” (Ecc 3:15)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God knows the end from the beginning. He has knowledge of everything that will ever happen in the earth. So when He speaks to you, He does so informed by every decision you will ever make and every blessing He will ever release in your life. This is why it is easy for God to speak to your “to be” stage from your “right now” stage. God literally calls those things that are not (yet) as though they are (right now), because He has already seen them come to pass in eternity and He knows that for you, in the earth, it is only a matter of time.
2. When God allows you to see what He already knows about your future it is called “revelation”. When God provides revelation and you then align your lips and your actions with what God revealed, even when it flies in the face of what you are facing in your current-day circumstances, it is called “faith”.
3. God is able to call those things that are not (yet) as though they are because He already knows what is going to happen. When He reveals the future to you He then wants you to call those things that are not (yet) as though they are. God wants you to speak the language of faith; a language that calls the future from the present.
4. Calling those things that be not (yet) as though they are should be an exercise in faith and not foolishness.
a) Let’s say your arm is broken and you get it put in a cast. The doctor gives you a timeframe for total recovery and God reveals to you that He is going to heal your arm 5x faster than what the doctor said. In this case, the language of faith will have the courage to declare what God revealed. You could say, “I declare that my arm is healed 5x faster than what the doctor said!” And you would be right. If God revealed it, then He will perform it. However, many Christians misunderstand the language of faith and they cross over into foolishness. They walk around with a cast on their arm says, “My arm is NOT broken… in Jesus’ name!” That’s not faith. That’s foolish. Don’t confuse faith for nonsense.
b) When Abram was 99 years old the Lord revealed to him that the time had come for he and his wife to have the promised child. At 99, Abram was past the human child-bearing age. Not only that, but his wife Sarai, was 89 years old at the time and she had been barren all her life. But human limits mean nothing to God. God promised it and He wanted Abram to align his lips with it. So God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. Abraham means “Father of many nations”. God wanted Abram to go around and introduce himself as “Abraham, the Father of many nations”, 9 months before he actually became what he was saying. Abraham did it and sure enough, 9 months later he and his wife had the baby. This is how you call those things that be not as though they are. It simply boils down to saying in the present what God has revealed about the future; and saying it like it is already done.
c) God will reveal things to you about your future in your present, and He then wants you to call those things that be not (yet) as though they already are. When you do, it is called “faith”. But please don’t cross over from faith to foolishness by calling those things that clearly are as though they are not. If you are sick, it’s okay to acknowledge the sickness, and then declare what God has revealed to you about your healing. If you say you are not sick, then God’s manifestation would not be a testimony, because healing can only be released in sickness. If you are finally broke, but God has revealed things to you about the financial abundance you will enjoy in the future, it is okay to declare that God is opening the door of financial success for you. But if you claim to be NOT BROKE, then what are you believing God for? God reveals things to you about your future so you can believe them, receive them, and even declare them in your present. When done correctly it is faith, when done incorrectly it is foolishness.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. You have taught me about the plans You already made for my life by grace, about the things You will do in my life in the future, and about Your ability to reveal those things to me in my present. As You do, I speak what I see. I declare what You reveal. In so doing, I am calling those things that be not as though they are. I call my future into my present by faith. But I never call those things that are as though they are not. I walk by faith and not foolishness. I walk by what You reveal, not what I conjure up in my own mind. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
