WELCOME TO FAITH WORKS

"FAITH WORKS" is the medium through which we will deliver the monthly messages from Anointed Word Ministries,Inc. We believe these messages will be an inspiration and an encouragement to you. Therefore, passing the URL for this ministry page on to others is greatly appreciated and encouraged. Also, adding this page to your "HOTLIST" would be a good source for some monthly edification. Thank you very much.

Please click here to order materials

To learn more about Anointed Word Ministries please click here.

THIS MONTH'S TOPIC:

"Understanding Spiritual Blessings"

Ephesians 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:"

Ephesians 1:3 informs me that "in Christ" the believer has been blessed with "ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS".

This is good news but what exactly are "spiritual blessings"? If the believer indeed has been blessed with them, how then can I make these "spiritual blessings" a material reality? Contrary to what may dominate our mindsets, the word spiritual does not mean "unreal". It is instead a synonym of the word "unseen". Therefore, if we were to paraphrase Ephesians 1:3 and read it with that definition in mind, I believe we would glean a greater appreciation for these "in Christ" blessings.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all Unseen blessings in heavenly places in Christ:".

The world of the spiritual can be characterized as the world of the unseen. That which is spiritual is in effect also that which Unseen. II Corinthians 4:18 says "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." This scripture reminds me that as a believer, I am not looking at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. II Corinthians 5:7 says "For we walk by faith, not by sight". Apparently, the eyes by which I see as a believer are not natural but spiritual or unseen. Another way that I say II Corinthians 5:7 is "For we walk by what we see on the inside of us and not by what we see on the outside of us." Basically we walk by our believing.

St. John 4:24 says that "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." I can say this in this way to appreciate the context of spiritual things. God is an Unseen Being and they that worship Him must worship Him in that Unseen part of themselves and in truth.

Hebrews 11:27 says that Moses "endured, as seeing Him Who is invisible." Moses heard the inaudible, saw the invisible did the impossible. We are to do likewise as believers. This is accomplished by understanding the Unseen world of the spirit.

Having discussed the Unseen, lets look at how we can move that which is spiritual(or Unseen) into our seen world. This would be easier accomplished by looking at the life of Abraham. What God promised Abraham at first was an Unseen blessing. It was not physical. It was not in his possession. He had to do something to take that which God initially promised(being spiritual or unseen at first) to make it a physical reality. If we do the things that Abraham did, then we can receive the things that Abraham received. Romans 4:12 graphically informs me of this by saying that Abraham is "the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised". Hebrews 6:12 encourages us to "not be slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

So, how did Abraham obtain these spiritual or unseen blessings? Romans 4:18-21 is an excellent commentary on how Abraham operated in the unseen to obtain the blessings from the unseen: "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God though unbelief; but was strong in faith giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what He[God] had promised, he was able also to perform". I can safely conclude that Abraham used unseen/spiritual forces to obtain these unseen blessings. This is what the believer must do. I have enumerated four dominate unseen forces exercised by Abraham to make what God promised a manifest reality.

1. He walked by faith. Romans 4:19 says Abraham was "not weak in faith". Verse 20 says "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief ; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; It says in verse 21 that he was "fully persuaded that what He[God] had promised He was able also to perform." The Bible calls this full persuasion walking by faith. I agree with the Bible.

 

2. He obeyed God. Obedience to God is a very powerful spiritual/unseen force. Abraham's life with God can be characterized as a life of unmitigated obedience. Hebrews 11:8 says that "by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went". God testifies about Abraham's obedience in Genesis 18:19 by saying "for I know him that he will command his children after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him". Many times believers erroneously think that it is determined by God how blessed we are. This scripture reveals that we have more to do with God blessing us than we may want to acknowledge. Job 36:11-12 says "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge". Peter reminds the Jewish leaders of his day and us today in Acts 5:29 that "we ought to obey God rather than men". Again, obedience to God is a very powerful spiritual/unseen force. Perhaps the most powerful.

 

3. He used words. A third observation concerning Abraham obtaining his unseen blessings can be seen in how he used his words. Abraham made his words agree and coincide with God's words. Even though God told him in Genesis 17:5 that He had made him a father of many nations, it was Abraham's responsibility to agree with God and say what God had said about him and his situation. We must do likewise! This is one unseen force that we must adopt into our existence. David says in Psalms 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer". Jesus says in Mark ll:23 that we can have what we say. He said concerning His own words in John 6:63 that those words are spirit and they are life. In Daniel 10:12 an angel informs him of the significance of his words by saying "Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words". Malachi 3:10-12 informs us of what God said would occur if one tithe and give offerings. But verse 13 says that the process is complicated because "your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? God says He would open the windows of heaven unto us. Gods says He would rebuke the devourer for us. God says my vine would not cast her fruit before the time in the field. God says all nations shall call us blessed. God says we shall be a delightsome land. But our words were stout against Him. We must say what we pray. We must say what God has said in His word. Otherwise, our words will become our undoing. Words contrary to scripture is counter-productive to our spiritual well-being. Our words must coincide and agree with God's Word, the Bible. Abraham's words agreed with God(Genesis 22:1-8).

 

4. He exercised patience and continued in God's ways. One final observation concerning Abraham: he was patient and he did not quit. Hebrews 6:11-15 says "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he[Abraham] had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Patience is absolutely necessary in operating in the unseen. Being in a hurry is a characteristic of the flesh. We are driven instead of driving. We are out of control instead of under control. Patience is a fruit of the spirit/unseen. The King James calls it longsuffering(Galatians 5:22). Hebrews 10:35-36 commands me to "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise". So, I do the Will or the Word of God, I walk in patience, I receive the promise. James 1:4 declares: "let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing".

Abraham is one Biblical example of many individuals who operated successfully in the unseen. The spiritual blessings that are ours should manifest in our material world. There is a way to make them manifest. We flow in the unseen by employing unseen forces(II Corinthians 10:3-4) that help us appropriate and obtain these unseen blessings. Just because we can not see them does not mean that they are not a reality. God has blessed us with all unseen blessings in heavenly places. Now it is time for us to do our part. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."(We walk by what we see on the inside of us and not by what we see on the outside of us.) II Corinthians 5:7.

It is my prayer that this particular topic will help you in your endeavors with GOD. Any comments can be directed to me via e-mail, phone or conventional mail. Thank-you.