This morning we continue our series entitled, “The Year of Supernatural Manifestation”, with our mini-series on “The Miracles of Jesus.” After walking our way through all the miracles Jesus performed, I used the last miracle I covered, the feeding of the 4,000, as a launching point from which to discuss the importance of spiritual perception.
Today I will focus on something the Lord said through Solomon. The Bible says, “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 AMP).
Solomon teaches us that everything that “is” today — everything you can see around you, everything going on in your life — has ALREADY BEEN. That’s already a lot to wrap your mind around, but if that were not enough, Solomon then tells us that everything that “will be” in our future — those things that have not happened yet — have also ALREADY BEEN! The text says that God is seeking that which has passed by (in eternity, in His realm, in His plans, in His mind), so that history (or HIS-story) can repeat itself. The plans God made for you have already played themselves out in God’s mind, in eternity, and when He looks at your life today, He is looking for history of eternity to repeat itself, in time, in the earth.
The best way I have found to explain what Solomon was teaching is this: God mapped out your entire life before you were born, He then rewound the tape and pressed play. When God looks at you today He is looking for what He planned. Faith then, is not about you coming up with a laundry list of things you want and laying them out before God like He is Santa Claus. No, faith is about discovering what God already planned for your life, what He already prepared for you by His unearned grace, and then making decisions that align with God’s plans. This is why Spiritual perception is so critical. If you can’t SEE it, you don’t know what to ask for. If you can’t SEE it, you don’t know how to pray. If you can’t SEE it, you run the risk of pursuing something that is not yours. If you can’t SEE it, you will never BE it and you will fail to maximize the purpose and potential God placed IN you!
So what does this mean to you today? A few quick things.
- God made plans for you before you were born. Therefore, you cannot find success outside of those plans.
- Success for the believer cannot be measured in money, houses, cars or land. Success can only be measured in divine purpose.
- God has already stored up everything you need to complete your divine assignment. He did this by His unearned and amazing grace. His grace for your success is already there. The question is, will your faith be there?
- 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.
- Faith peers into God’s realm (eternity), from our realm (time), and then comes back and makes decisions based on what was seen.
- Faith enables a believer to live on earth, informed by heaven, so that we can experience heaven on earth.
- Your success has already been planned. Everything you need has already been stored up. God’s will for your day and the rest of your days is already mapped out. However, you must be able to SEE it! If you can’t SEE IT, you can’t HAVE IT!
- As a Born-Again believer the Father expects you to live your life from the inside-out, discerning what to do and how to do it, where to go and what to do when you get there. Living this way you get to live your life based on Spiritual vision and not human sight.
- The opposite of faith is not doubt, the opposite of faith is human sight (2 Cor 5:7). Mere humans live their lives by what they can see with their natural eyes; validating their decisions with sense-realm evidence (what they can see, touch, taste, hear and smell). Born-Again believers are supposed to live their lives by what they can SEE in the Spirit, even when it is contrary to what they see in this world; validating their decisions with Spirit-realm evidence (what they can hear and see in their Spirit).
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. I develop my ability to SEE in the Spirit. You made plans for me before the world began. The only way I can find true success is by FINDING, FOLLOWING and ultimately FINISHING Your plans for my life. I am born from above. Your Spirit lives IN me. I am no longer limited to operating as a mere man. I am a God-man. You gave me Your Spirit so I could know the plans You made for me. Your Spirit speaks to me daily, and throughout the day. I am able to peer into heaven, from the earth, so Your will can be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. I am able to peer into eternity, from time, and then come back to live out what I saw. My success is connected to my ability to SEE in the Spirit. I declare that I SEE with clarity and focus. The more I die to ME, the more You bless me to SEE! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
