The Light of Inner Vision

“And the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  For the vision is for an appointed time… though it tarry, wait for it: because it will surely come’” Hab 2:2-3

“… ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ… written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” 1 Cor. 3:3

 

“A new heart will I give you, and a

new spirit will I put within you.. and I will take away the stony heart… and give you

a heart of flesh” Ezek. 36:26

“Where there is no vision, the people 

perish”Prov. 29:18

     Today we are going to talk about vision.  The Light of inner vision comes to those who have received the Spirit of the Lord.  Without vision, there is no hope, no future.  Without vision, we die.

     The translation of our ideas from the mental plane into the physical world is much different to receiving vision from the Lord.  Imagination should not be compared with inspiration.  Plans contrived in the mind are different to those impressed upon the heart by God.  Our own plans are premised upon our effort and pride, while a righteous vision requires an understanding of the relationship between Grace and Faith.  Grace is God’s unmerited favor, the outpouring of His Love.  Faith is the channel through which Grace flows. 

     Grace and faith are both reciprocal and proportional.  We are “faithing” toward God, while God is “gracing” toward us.

    GRACE

   FAITH

     Through Faith, God is entreated for the vision.  By Grace, that vision is written upon your heart.  Through Faith, you surrender, submitting your mind and heart to God.  By Grace, His Spirit moves in you, causing you to be in the right place at the right time, meet the right people, or say the right words to bring about the vision.  Through Faith, you become a conduit for positive energy, a malleable lump of clay for the Lord.  Faith relinquishes control.  Grace receives reward and blessing.

     Deny yourself and become a witness in the background.  Watch God.  He will work in you and through you as the vision unfolds.  Yes, it is still you.  But now you are the co-author of your life, the co-creator of your reality.  It is now Christ in you who takes preeminence.  As you wait for Him to move, observe as a silent witness.

     The righteous shall live by faith (Rom 1:17; 4:22).  And this “faith” should be viewed as an action verb.  It is a “faithing” experience to wait on the Lord.  Our actions come to reflect the trust we have placed in God.  The carnal nature will struggle to control the life, to encapsulate your mind within self and keep you from the vision. 

     But the call is to crucify self daily (Luke 9:23; Rom 8:13).  What does this mean?  It means to simply “hang here” in this present moment.  Refrain from all thinking and wait for the Spirit to move you.  “Hang here” and wait, just as Christ hung on the cross.  It sounds simple, but it takes trust and awareness.

     “Hanging here” in this present moment with consciousness resident in the heart and not the mind describes that “faithing” and waiting on the Lord.  It is total blind contentment necessary for the righteous vision to come to pass.

     God will write His vision for your life on your heart.  He puts a new heart and spirit inside you as a result of trusting the promises of His Word (Ezek. 36:26; Jer. 31:33).  A new heart and spirit represent a changed mindset and attitude in the believer, bringing about conviction and repentance.  The vision comes into focus through sustained faith-action. The vision crystallizes in the heart and we run toward it; if we sin or fall back, the vision starts to dissolve. The vision may change several times and coalesce into something new based on personal choices and missed opportunities.  But there is always a vision and purpose for the your life, and God wants to reveal it.  He wants us to run toward the vision.

     The vision begins as a cloudy silhouette upon the heart, but comes into focus as we demonstrate faith and grow into spiritual maturity:

“for now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known”

1 Cor. 13:12

     One of the greatest exercises of faith is in the activity of prayer.  Prayer made in the Spirit is a sweet incense to the Lord, a powerful force which can influence reality and manifest inner vision.  Prayer is a weapon for the strong, not a crutch for the weak.  Notice in today’s highlighted scripture, vision comes through prayer: “And the Lord answered me and said…” (Hab 2:2-3).

     This is an important lesson.  If we desire an inspired, personal vision from God, we must be seeking it, praying for it.  Unfortunately, most believers will never behold God’s vision for their lives.  They will see but that cloudy silhouette because they are not earnestly seeking God’s will or exercising faith.  But this need not be so.  God reveals vision to the diligent seeker.  He writes it upon the heart of the person who prays.

     Let us examine how God’s vision for Paul manifested.  On his way from Damascus and in the desert, God knocks Paul to the ground and blinds him.  Paul asked, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do” (Acts 9:6).

     This is how we begin our spiritual journey.  In seeking vision, we first must begin blind; we must ask, “Lord, what would you have me do?”  Paul remained blind for three days (Acts 9:9).  Paul got right with God and His prayers had power.  God sent Ananias to heal his blindness, “for behold, he prayeth” (Acts 9:11).

     So notice the order of events.  First, God knocks us to the ground (Acts 9:4).  This pictures humility, our starting point.  Then our proper response should be, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).  Finally, we energize through prayer. God restores our sight—the vision comes into focus (Acts 9:11, 18).

     Praying in the Spirit unleashes the Power, or “dunamas,” of God.  Grace is the favorable result of the “dunamas” of God.  The formula is in itself a reinforcing loop: PRAY-WAIT-TRUST.

                                    WAIT

                        PRAY             TRUST

     Keep denying self, “hanging here” in the presence of the moment, and at the appointed time God will move, reveal, and transform:

Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it”

Hab 2:2-3

     The reinforcing loop of PRAY-WAIT-TRUST energizes the “dunamis” (power) of God:

“…that he may run that readeth it.”

(Hab 2:2-3). 

     At the appointed time, the Spirit moves toward that vision.  We appropriate courage; we lean upon God in being filled with the Spirit.  Willpower no longer controls.  Logic and the mental faculties take a back seat to the operation of the Spirit, the “dunamas” Power of God.  He works through  submissive vessels to bring about a personal vision.  As we run closer, the mosaic becomes clearer and the vision takes form.

     The PRAY-WAIT-TRUST loop energizes the “dunamis” (Power) of God.  Don’t plan too much.  Jesus said that tomorrow will take care of itself.  Look at the vision and focus on what you are supposed to do today.  God will show you exactly what to do when tomorrow comes.  Day-by-day living feeds the soul and enlightens the vision upon the heart: “And the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables”—

These tables picture the heart: 

“… ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ… written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart”

2 Cor. 3:3

     Did you catch that?  God writes a vision upon the tables of the heart.  Our lives write a new epistle!  We have the opportunity and potential to become the very personification of Scripture, a living testimony to God.  We are to become that vision, and that vision is to become us.

     The vision is akin to God whispering a divinely inspired secret upon your heart.  You receive it, trust it, and run toward it to examine it more closely: “that he may run that readeth” (Hab 2:2-3).  The vision unlocks by patiently trusting it will come: “though it tarry, wait for it: because it will surely come” (Hab 2:3).

     God’s purpose in writing His vision upon your heart is to create living, walking, breathing Epistles—testimonies of His Love and Power on earth.  Our bodies are the Temple of God (1 Cor 3:16; 1 Cor 6:19)

     Let’s recap how to receive inspired vision.  First, humble yourself, or God will enforce humility.  Second, be converted and receive that new heart and spirit that He has promised.  This requires trusting God.  Third, be brought to that point of asking, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).  The answer may not come right away but you must diligently seek it.  Finally, God opens your eyes to the vision when you pray.  God restored Paul’s sight because, ”behold he prayeth” (Acts 9:11).

     The vision may take days, weeks, months, or years to manifest, but God will begin by writing it upon the tables of your heart.  It may begin as a cloudy silhouette, but it will crystallize as you run toward it.  It will show itself clearly as you grow in His Spirit and Love.  Finally, as part of His vision for your life, you will be transformed into a Living Epistle, a shining testimony for others to see. 

“… though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” Hab 2:3

May the Lord of Glory reveal to you the light of inner vision.                                             

                                                               Larry Word

Love not the World

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world… For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world” 

1 John 2:15-16

“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever”  1 John 2: 17

“…know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God?  Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”  James 4:4

     Do you love the world?  I am not speaking of the beauty and wonder of the earth itself, but of the organized and structured systems of which it is built. 

     We have been deceived.  Our attachments and desires weigh so heavily upon our souls that we do not even realize we are suffocating.  We love our jobs, homes, and cars.  We love our habits, routines, and schedules—from eating at our favorite restaurant to watching our regular television programs, we would rather do anything than serve and worship God.  We are overlords of our own little universe.  We love our wealth, status, and prestige.  We love the little niches we have carved for ourselves.  If we see something someone else has, we compare it to what we have.  Our souls are forever wanting, our appetites never full.

     We are but faintly aware that there is a vacuum at the core of our being, a desperate void that longs to be filled.  Our little microcosm provides pacification without fulfillment, a counterfeit peace which distracts our attention from the sorrowful longings in the soul.

     But Jesus promised us a different kind of peace than what the world provides: “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, giveth I unto you” (John 15:27).  Isn’t that interesting?  The world offers us a form of peace, but Christ offers us a “peace which surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7).  And this peace is not obtained by knowledge or effort but by faith: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

     You see, by loving the world, we unwittingly serve its ruler, Satan, the prince of this world (John 12:30, 16:11).  He currently deceives all nations and peoples of the earth (Rev. 20:3).

     One of the biggest lies the devil sponsors is that only gross evil originates from him.  But scripture declares that, “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14).  His world policy is based on both human good (self-righteousness) and evil.  Satan incorporates as much good into the world as possible while still maintaining his objectives.  What are those objectives?  To prove God a liar and bring in a counterfeit peace, thus obtaining the worship and glory rightfully due our Lord.

     This may come as a shock, but the presence of evil in the world is something of an embarrassment to Satan, for it illustrates his impotence to execute his plan.  Misery and depravity are not by his design, but rather, are the result of a creature attempting to take on more than he could ever possibly administer.

     So this is why we cannot love the world, for it is all the cosmos diabolicus—the devil’s orderly, structured world system.  Cosmos diabolicus is a latin theological term that refers to Satan’s domain and the scope of his authority.  The cosmos diabolicus is vast.  It includes governments, art, politics, media, education, the economy, commercialism, morality, and yes, even religion!  It represents man’s attempt to live separate, apart from God.  All of these systems in the world work together to numb man, to provide a counterfeit peace that cannot be sustained.  And the revelation of scripture is that it all must ultimately be destroyed, not just the evil, but the entire heavens and earth must be annihilated and re-created (2 Pet 3:7, 10; Rev 21:1).

     So whether you consider the world in its microcosm (i.e. our habits, routines, and the little empires we have amassed) or in the macrocosm (the cosmos diabolicus—governments, religion, the economy, etc.), just remember to keep it all in perspective.  Don’t get duped into accepting that counterfeit peace offered by Satan and his world.  For it is only meant to deceive you and distract you from your purpose in Christ.

     Don’t love the world, but seek the Kingdom of God and all else will be added to you.  We may be formed of the dust but deep in the heart of man is the fiery morning star seeking to shine forth.    Though we were born terrestrial “earth creatures,” we have a dormant celestial identity, the mystery of which is unlocked in the heart by faith:

“… having received the promises… and were persuaded of them, and embraced them… (they) confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”      

(Heb 11:13)

We may live in the world, but we are not of the world.

Larry Word

Invisible Heroes

“God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost”  Heb 2:4

“But He giveth more grace, Wherefore He saith, ‘God resiteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

James 4:6

     There are few in today’s world who understand the actualized potential of Spirit.  Fundamentalist and Conservative branches of Christianity hold that the signs, wonders, and miracles of apostolic times have altogether ceased, that the gifts of the Spirit were valid for but a short season in the early church in order to bear witness to the Lordship of Christ (Heb 2:4).  Charismatic and some Pentecostal denominations, on the other hand, believe that if you do not manifest signs and wonders of the Spirit, such as the gift of tongues, then you are not saved.  So who is right?  Let us explore this question together.

     In the days of the early church, God worked on the principle of bearing visible and conspicuous witness that something incredible had occurred (Heb 2:4)—the resurrection and ascension of Christ.  There were no Bibles back then.  The message had to travel via word of mouth from one believer to another.  The common spiritual phenomena of tongues, healings, and miracles in the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:28, 29) enabled the Christian faith to spread like wildfire, a pandemic contagion that enveloped the Roman Empire.  Slowly, these spiritual gifts faded (1 Cor. 13:8), but not before the establishment of churches and the writing of the New Testament Epistles.

     Nowadays, conversion is typically not associated with the same supernatural fireworks.  It is simply by grace through faith that the Kingdom is born within the heart.  The orthodox sects have gone too far in saying that God is no longer in the business of miracles.  But Charismatics are equally errant in believing that the Holy Spirit is some sort of dog-and-pony show; that much noise and exaggerated emotions are evidence of a spiritual experience.

     The Truth is that God now works from a different principle.  Rather than bearing visible and conspicuous witness to the collective body (Heb 2:4), God works through individual believers, invisible heroes with an enlarged capacity for grace: “But he giveth more grace… unto the humble” (James 4:6). 

     You do not have to speak in tongues or perform miracles to be saved.  In fact, most tongue babbling and so-called tent revival healings are a farce.  I say “most” because I cannot relegate the sovereignty of God.  But I can state that, nowadays, God works His Power (dunamas) through invisible heroes.

     Speaking in toungues is a deeply personal experience between you and the Lord.  It is no longer meant for spectacle.  It is not a scheduled event for the eyes of men.  If the true spirit of wisdom, knowledge, or any of the other gifts have touched you (1 Cor. 12:8-11), then you probably feel out of place in both the church and the world.  But God has not left you marooned on an island.  He calls you to be an invisible hero, reporting directly to the Master.  He expects you to submit yourself as a humble vessel through which His Spirit works.

   An invisible hero gives his or her alms in secret.  An invisible hero influences events from behind the scenes.  An invisible hero understands that the Power of God’s Spirit cannot be harnessed, commanded, or turned on and off at will.  An invisible hero waits for the Spirit to move, for the waters to pour forth.  The family, friends, and professional affiliations of the invisible hero are blessed simply by peripheral association: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee,” was the promise to Abraham; how much more shall the invisible hero receive in Christ!

     The humility of the invisible hero is what enables  super-grace capacity: “But he giveth more grace… unto the humble.” (James 4:2).  But humility does not mean that you have to be timid.  Contrary to popular opinion, the mark of humility is in being able to receive instruction and correction.  The proud exalts himself but the humble is exalted by God.  Humility enables one to develop virtue and character, resulting in the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” (Gal. 5:22, 23).

     Humility simply means “teachability,” and the Holy Spirit is our private tutor.  A humble man or woman receives conviction from the Holy Spirit, resulting in behavior modification and the continued growth of that new spiritual identity born in the heart, that “new man” of  Eph 4:24.

     So ask yourself, are you an invisible hero?  Has the Lord enlarged your capacity for grace?  Because if you are, then you know that above all else, Love is the highest calling, greater than any spiritual gift or supernatural phenomena (1 Cor. 13:1-4).  The Greek word for this type of Love is “agape,” rendered “charity” in 1 Corinthians 13:1-4 (KJV).  This is the same Love (agape) that describes God sacrificing His only son (John 3:16).  We could better render it “cherish” rather than “charity.”  It is a Love of self-sacrificial giving.

     Invisible heroes sacrifice themselves, submitting their body and blood to the service of the Lord and the betterment of humanity.  They are in effect mini-messiahs, anointed by the Holy Spirit:

“I have said, ‘ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High”

(Psalms 82:6; John 10:34, 35). 

     Invisible heroes have divine compassion on others—they don’t just Love, they cherish.

Larry Word