Please allow me to help you with your faith. Many of my Pentecostal friends think I do not believe in the spiritual realm, but I do. They think I am not spiritual (whatever that word means), because I do not make an outward show with my emotions to express my belief. God is not trying to make us feel good or happy, oh no, He is trying to kill our fleshly nature and ways.

It is sad, we use the Gospel today to deliver us from pain and suffering, but in reality the true Gospel brings suffering into focus and into our lives. Most churches take away the suffering needed to experience spiritual growth in humility. I find those who express their belief outwardly have little understanding of God’s word, His true ways, and worse, less of God’s character. My friend there is a very vivid and real spiritual realm, but for us to tap into it we must possess a God-given ability in our spirit. This mystical realm is not reached by the works of our hands or words of our mouth. It is reached by faith and faith alone, not our faith, but the faith God gives us to believe. Believe what? Faith to believe for everything we want or need? No faith to believe what God said. This thought, what God said, is a progressive and continual revelation we must have moving in our understanding at all times. Often we are like Elisha’s servant Gehazi, “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17) For us to “fear not” God will have to open the eyes of our understanding to get us to believe what we cannot see with our natural senses. Now I am not sure, but the longer I go with God the more convinced I am that God made man to operate more in the heavenly realm than in the earthly realm. God breathed life into man making him an eternal and heavenly being and put him on earth, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) Please do not call me a human being I am not, I am a heavenly being conquering this human existence. For us to move in faith we must get the wisdom and understand (Proverbs 4:7) of faith.

We know by the scriptures what faith is, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Paul in Galatians tells us how faith works, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” (Galatians 5:6) And in some of my previous writings and in John we see the “rule of three operating” and understand how faith operates, “Jesus saith unto her , Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) But how do we tap into the faith needed to move in God’s will and purpose for our lives? How do we appropriate the faith needed to function correctly in God to believe what He has said? Now it is very important to know f aith is not getting God to do something for us, but having the ability to tap into what He has already done for us. Faith helps us appropriate what God has already provided for us. Everything God will ever give us, faith included, He has already given us. There is nothing else God needs to give us to do His will on earth as His will (Matthew 6:10 ) is settled in Heaven. We cannot work up our faith up by listening to the Bible on tape, CD, or DVD hoping for more faith. Now please hear this thought, “faith cometh by hearing. “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Paul could not have been talking about the Torah (the Jewish Book of the Law) or the Bible as we know it because it had not yet written. The answer is quite clear we must be able to hear God speak to us. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing, not faith, comes “by the word of God.” Many Christians think if they can hear the Bible preached on some media they will get faith. Well, if this be true then all who attend church services will have faith and we know this is not the case. I think the Greek version of Romans 10:17 is more complete in revelation and understanding. “Faith cometh by hearing a word from God.” (Romans 10:17 (Greek) Please remember, if we want to “truly” (take a physical thing or concept and project it into the heavenly, like Jesus did with bread and a vine) understand the Scripture we must go back in translation not ahead. The truth in the Bible is contained in the original words as the Holy Spirit brings to our understanding what is “truly” happening, and not in the translation after translation further away from the original thoughts. We must take heed and really be careful in this area. Hearing just one word from God can carry you for years. Hearing just one word from God is enough strengthening for us to endure and persevere tough areas and difficult situations in our lives. Hearing (understanding) a word like, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” will be all that is needed to withstand life and its many troubles. The only way we will be able to appropriate the faith we need is when we hear God speak to us. For it is in the hearing from God we will have the faith to do what God has called and purposed us to do. Not the faith to do all things, but the faith to do that which God has spoken to us to do. For in the word God speaks to us is the faith and all things needed to do what God has asked us to do. Faith comes by us hearing God speak to us. Now God is not a chatter box, God spoke five times to Abram in 25 years. God does not use allot of words, He chooses His limited words for maximum impact in our lives. And for us to be able to hear God speak to us we must have a spirit that is quiet and still, because God does not speak loud. “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11 -13) Jesus was not really to concerned with what people did, but was extremely concerned with how they did them. For us to be able to hear from God, we must be able to hear correctly, “ Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” (Luke 8:18) Our concept of God’s ways are so shallow in understanding and backwards. What we think is really important to God is probably not as important. Many Christians think t he blessings of God equal the approval of God and goes after them (driven by their greed) with all their might, but not so in God. Obedience to God alone is His measure of approval.

My friend for us to be able to hear God and appropriate faith we must have a soft spirit and a broken heart to hear His voice. The ears of our heart must be trained, we must “learn” of Him to hear a lowly and meek spirit. Jesus said of Himself, ” Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) Spiritual ability comes out of a broken heart. My friend we are not getting into eternity without a broken heart. It is clear the way up is down. The further we can go down the closer we will be where Jesus is and the easier it will be for God to give us revelation, rest, and for us to appropriate the faith to take on the yoke of learning and so much more.