RAISING THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF OUR BELIEF

God is challenging us to raise the consciousness of our belief. Ask yourself, “Why is it taking us years to manifest the proof of our Sonship?” Did God give the disciples more of Himself than He did us? Can you honestly say you believe on Christ the way they did? Examine your life and see if you measure up to the standard of the Word.

Why is it that saints sin so routinely, and at will? Do you also obey at will? Do you celebrate small victories and say to yourself, “I sure dealt righteously in that situation,” but find yourself sinning in others? God does not see this as the life of a believer. On the contrary, this is the life of an unbeliever! Yes, brothers and sisters, we manifest our unbelief everyday. How is this so? Any level of sin in the life of a believer is unbelief!

God does not want us to be frustrated when we examine our lives and see the shortness in it. However, He instructs us to, . . . examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5).

We must examine our consciousness toward God. Do we believe on Christ the way the Scriptures have said or do we make allowances for sin in our life? Have we sought out an alternate route to God, rejecting truth? Are we working out our salvation with fear and trembling? In fact, Paul said to the church at Corinth:

1 Corinthians 9:27

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Where is the evidence of our belief? The Scripture says out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water. We see all through the Word the evidence of those who believed God. David trusted and obeyed the Word from his childhood and God honored him by making him King of Israel. We know the story of Noah’s obedience in building the Ark manifested the power of his belief by saving his family when the rest of the world was destroyed. Likewise, we can see the delivering power of God as He delivered the children of Israel out of bondage because of Moses’ belief.

However, later we also see the power of unbelief when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it. He was denied entrance into the promise land. Adam’s disobedience drove him and his family out of the Garden of Eden and out of the presence of God. Saul was rejected because of his greed.

All through scripture we see the power of man’s obedience to the Word as well as the consequence of unbelief and disobedience! Jesus told the devil in the wilderness man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus understood the Word of God to be His source of life. He and all who believed on Him lived inside of the Word. It is the path back to the Father.

Psalm 119:105

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

THE “SPACE”

What is this “space” or gulf we are referring to? It is the time we, as saints give ourselves to come into the Mind of Christ! In I John 1,

1 John 1:1-2

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

We, too, can say we have entertained the purity of the Word and know the single mindedness required to walk in it. But because of unbelief and our acceptance of only a part of the Word, we begin to redefine the fundamentals of salvation. Instead of preaching and living in the purity of the Word as it is written, we begin to make allowances for sin and redefine Christ.

As a result we try to force the saints to psyche themselves up to receive the message of suffering instead of just embracing the reality of who they are . . . the Sons of God! If the Body of Christ never embraces who the Scriptures say we are, we will continue to create a space of time in which will be rehearsed the old clichés: “God is not through with me yet, or I know I’m not where I ought to be but I have come a long way.” But the real deception here is that many believe they will accomplish the mind of Christ living in that space. The Bible calls this “space” UNBELIEF, and it is simply a rejection of Christ!

Galatians 3:1-3

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

If we do not obey the Word and make it law for our lives, we will give ourselves latitude to sin. We will produce nothing but a form of godliness, however denying the power thereof. This is why our lives do not manifest the potency of the life of Christ!

In order to produce Christ, we must have His mind! If you can look at your life and see that you have not submitted yourself into living inside of the Word, do not get frustrated with God and this life. Be honest with yourself! We must take our position as the Son of God! We must broaden our belief and walk in the truth.

Galatians 5:25

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

When we decide to embrace the Word of God in its purity, then and only then out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water. The proof of our belief will be manifested in our everyday lives. We would not have to solicit recognition of who we are in God. That will cease to matter. We will cease to fight for our own lives. Our sentiment will be the same as those who were before us.

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1 Peter 1:13-16

13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

It is with the mind that we serve the Lord! This is the foundation for coming into the mind of Christ! We must endeavor to be holy, and make no room for sin or compromise in our lives! Holiness is not what we learn, it is who we are!

The scripture says “as it is written . . .”. If it is written, then it is the life that we must live. There is no room for any other mind! Remember, if our gospel be hid, it is hid to those who are lost!

Brothers and sisters let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us go on to perfection! As we walk in the mind of Christ, we will produce a manifested Son of God.