Believe

 “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

 I read in one of Bob Gass’ daily readings, that during the great California gold rush days, a young couple became totally obsessed with the pursuit of gold. They sold their farm and everything they owned and went out west to search for it. Failure after failure, they eventually ended up bankrupt and went to Europe. After many years, they came back home to America and decided to visit their old farm. But when they arrived they found it surrounded by security guards and a high-wire fence. That day they discovered that under their farmhouse was the second largest gold reserve in America - and it was now owned by the government.

 There’s a big lesson here for us Christians. Through a lack of understanding we can be seeking for something that we have already. It’s one of the Devil’s favourite ploys. In the beginning Satan told Eve that she didn’t have what it takes and needed to eat the forbidden fruit in order to be enlightened.  It was a lie, for she already had everything she needed. Her ignorance cost her and Adam dearly. Those words are still whispered in our ears today, “You don’t have what it takes.” and our unbelief is  hindering our growth in the Lord.

 I have learnt this the hard was. A big stumbling block in my Christian walk was my persistent begging God for something that the bible said I already had. I just couldn’t get my head around the fact that I needed to believe I had something when I couldn’t see it. As I say so often in my messages now, we are a people who go so much by our 5 senses (especially by what we see and feel) rather than by the 6th sense of faith. We can reason, “If I can’t see it then it can’t be true.” But this is not the way faith works.

I wasted so much time over the years asking God for things over and over that He said I had already. I fasted and prayed for extended periods of time and each time it ended with no apparent result. I thank God that things have changed now and He has had mercy on me, helping me to understand His mind and get some answers. It has opened up a vast treasure chest of revelation for me and has changed my life dramatically. I pray that this message will help you see what I now see.

The trouble has been that I’d equate having the power of God in my life, (being used in healing and miracles) as a sign of His favour and blessing. After reading the testimonies of ministers like Kathryn Kuhlman, William Branham, T.L Osborn,  Oral Roberts, A.A. Allen, just to name a few, I’d pursue God’s power too and never seemed to get anywhere. It led to so much frustration.

 There seemed to be something else that God was trying to reveal to me, but I couldn’t understand what it was. I was frustrated with the little outward evidence that all my praying and fasting produced. The Spirit seemed to be leading me along the path of believing that I had the answer within. I needed to believe this, recognise it, appreciate it and reward it. It took a long time to see that it wasn’t so much the power of God that I needed, it was to believe, recognise and appreciate the Christ within that really was the answer.

 My knowing Him, appreciating Him and worshipping Him was the reward that He was looking for from me. Believe it or not, us finding Him and enjoying Him is a great reward for Him too and is why He went to the cross. I wanted His power but what I really needed was Him. I wanted what was in His hand but He wanted me to have what was in His heart. The power is a ‘by product’ of knowing Him. I don’t doubt that I will see the power of God in my ministry but before that I need to know Him.

 In his book ‘The Law of Recognition,’ Mike Murdock says, "Everything you'll ever need or want is already in your life - merely awaiting your recognition of it. But anything that's unrecognised becomes unappreciated; and anything that's unappreciated becomes unrewarded; and anything that's unrewarded eventually leaves your life." How true this can be for all of us. We can be looking in all the wrong places for something we have already and it’s costing us dearly. As Paul says we need to acknowledge every good thing that is in us in Christ if we want our faith to be effectual. Our lack of appreciation is affecting our faith. Philemon 1:6 KJV.

I have learned that God has put things in us that we can’t see with our physical eyes. Some of the biggest gifts in our lives are yet to be recognised, and our failure to recognise them is costing us.

 Paul wrote to the Ephesian church saying,

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart might be enlightened..." (Ephesians 1:18).

David also cried out; "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (Psalm 119:18).

 There are areas of potential in our life that you will never see unless God reveals them to us. And He will, if you'll take the time today to seek His face and believe.

 In the early days of my walk with God I read a book where Christ appeared to an African minister after a fast and this visitation changed his life and ministry forever. This really stirred me up. Why couldn’t I have an experience like that?  At the time we were on my wife’s parents’ farm in Zimbabwe waiting for a visa to get back to Bible College in South Africa. It was going to take awhile so I  decided to fast and pray and twist God’s arm to have a visitation like that.

 A few days into the fast a friend rang me and said that God had given him a verse for me from the book of Revelation. 

 “Don't be afraid of what you are going to suffer. Look! The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. For ten days you will undergo suffering. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the victor's crown of life.” Rev 2:10

 I figured that this was a confirmation I should fast for 10 days and afterwards I’d receive a reward – The reward of Christ appearing to me?  Being skinny, fasting really is a time of suffering for me as I don’t have the extra bonus thrown in of losing weight. If I stand sideways I disappear. 

 After 7 days I got another verse from the bible that said.

  “And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.” Luke 2:46

 Did this mean that there were only 3 more days and I’d have a visitation from the Lord? I girded up my loins and kept going. I needed to do that as my pants kept falling down. On the last day I read a verse in the book of Matthew.

 "But at midnight there came a shout: 'The groom is here! Come out to meet him!' Matthew 25:6

 This was getting exciting, for it seemed that today was my day to meet the Bridegroom. I told Bernice what I believed and that at midnight I would see the Lord. I didn’t go to bed and waited up until midnight praying in tongues around a big tree in the back garden. It’s amazing how sleepy you get when you have to do something spiritual, normally I could stay up until midnight ‘easy as’ but this time it really was a battle to stay awake. I got dressed for the occasion, no suit and tie though, but didn’t want to meet the Lord in my pyjamas, for I didn’t want to appear too fanatical or anything. I had a minister friend who always wore a tie and I’m sure he wore one to bed at night for even when I came there early one morning he had a tie on?

 Near midnight I sat at the lounge table next to an old clock that chimed the hour and when it struck midnight I waited until the 12th gong for my manifestation.

Guess what? There was …….. nothing? 

I checked the time, but no it was right. Maybe it’s meant to be Jerusalem time or something, which was 4 hours ahead? I sat there very disappointed. What was going on? What was that all about? It was then that I heard besides my rumbling stomach, a still small voice within me saying;

“I am here. Not only am I here but I am in you, Believe.”

 It wasn’t what I was wanting to hear right then but it was the truth and the truth eventually sets us free. After a few minutes the Lord began to bring verses to my mind in regards to this truth and said that this was the way forward and that I wasn’t to look for manifestations of His power as much as revelation from Him. “Blessed are those who have not seen yet believe.” It’s through revelation that Christ will build His Church. One of the obvious verses is found in Galatians.

 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

 I love how it is put in this modern translation. Here is what it says in the Passion Translation.

 “My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine!”

 I’m a slow learner, and have to admit I didn’t take this event/lesson  all that seriously and still drifted back into looking for spectacular things to happen. As I said I’d read the book on Oral Roberts’ visitation and the testimony of A. A. Allen which didn’t help matters much. Both these men had amazing miracles after a visitation from the Lord.

 The word does say that Christ is very close and living in me NOW and will ALWAYS be with me until the end of the age.  When Jesus was about to leave His disciples He said that it was going to be beneficial for them that He was leaving. One advantage for Jesus going was Him coming again in the Spirit? If we were in those days we would have had to contend with 70 other disciples, plus 12 Apostles and the 3 chosen ones, not to mention the Beloved John who always had his head leaning on the chest of Jesus, even at the meal table? How could you share your intimate thoughts with Him if John was always there? This way that He has now provided is amazing if we would only believe.

 “However, I am telling you the truth. It is for your advantage that I am going away, because if I do not go away the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7

 Jesus said that we are blessed if we haven’t seen - yet believe. Believe, really believe that Christ is in you.

This wasn’t the only time that I had a disappointment where God tried to get  a point across, especially when you a bit thick like me. There is nothing more counter productive than asking God for something that you have already. I was looking for something out there somewhere, that was already within me in Christ.

  “The Lord said to Abram  after Lot had parted from him,   “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring a forever.”   Genesis 13:14-15

 God said to Abraham when he first arrived in Canaan Land to look up from the place where he was and that all the land that he could see, would be given to him. He didn’t need to go somewhere else for it for it was where he was now. In the same way we don’t need to go anywhere else either for the presence of God. We have asked Christ into our life and He is here. The Kingdom of God is within us. If you can see what Christ has offered you, then its attainable.

 In these same chapters of Genesis we read of Hagar who thought she was dying in the desert, but the Angel opened her eyes to see a well of water right next to her. She was blinded to something that was already there, and so can we be blinded to what we have already and it is costing us dearly. We can be using up so much energy looking in all the wrong places. Believe.

 “You you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. “ Colossians 2:10 TLB

An amazing confirmation of this truth came after two other occasions where I had fasted and prayed for a particular length time and on the last day I was given the same reading each time.

 “Begin thanking God today for what He’s done, and what He’s going to do on your behalf, because He will - absolutely will come through for you.”

 Not only is it the key to believe that we have the answer is within in Christ, but to also rejoice before the manifestation. Before the Jericho walls fall down, so to speak. To rejoice before you see anything happening. As it says in Zechariah.

 “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 

Jesus told us in the book of Mark that we are to have the faith of God which involves believing that you have received something even though you can’t see it. He said.

“Believe that you have received it and you shall have it.”         Mark 11:24

 If you won ‘Lotto’ how would you react? You’d be excited and you’d no doubt jump up and down with glee. This is how we need to respond to the promises of God even before they manifest. Start rejoicing now even though you can’t see anything.

The trial of our faith is precious to the Lord. He says that we are blessed when we believe what He says is true even though we can’t see anything. Thomas didn’t see the Lord when He first appeared to the disciples and said that he wouldn’t believe it was so until he saw it with his own eyes. Jesus did appear to him and said that it’s not the way He does things. Jesus had said He would rise from the dead and loves it when we believe what He has promised.

There is a saying. “There is gold is not in them there hills.” The truth is, there is true gold within you.

 “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”