THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – IX

WBS.172

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – IX

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: IAUE our Elohim is one IAUE:

5 And thou shalt love IAUE thy Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

The Holy Spirit earnestly desires to aide us in the release of the wondrous treasure that is contained within us.  We have simply been too enamored with the flesh to take notice.  If you have been obedient to the will of IAUE over the past few weeks to give thanks in all things, rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing, you have become aware of a whole new way of living that awaits you. The flesh has never seemed less interesting to you. What a difference simple obedience can bring!

The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:7 that the mind set on the flesh is at enmity (ecthhra) with IAUE.  That means it stands opposed to IAUE’s right to rule.  It stands against the Kingdom of IAUE. This word is derived from the word echthros, which means “an enemy, a foe.” So, the mind set on the flesh, or more specifically, the believer who chooses to walk in the flesh, is an enemy of IAUE and deliberately stands opposed to the manifestation of His kingdom in the earth.  Is that really the position we want to take?  The more we understand what is the nature of the flesh and what are the consequences of walking in the flesh, the more unappealing and detestable it becomes to our mind.  The more repulsive it is to our mind, the more inclined we will be to walking in the spirit and being mindful of the spirit.

Under the Old Covenant, IAUE made provisions for His people to help them to remain inclined to do His will. That provision was to be saturated with His words, His commandments, His statutes, His ordinances, His testimonies.  If you will look again at our opening passage of Scripture you will see that He instructed the Hebrews to:

  1.  Teach His words diligently to their children,

  2.  Talk about His words: 

         a.  When you sit in your house,         

         b.  When you walk by the way (i.e., when you leave your house),

         c.  When you lie down at night,

         d.  When you wake up in the morning.

  3.  Bind His words upon your hand, so as you use your hands to work during the day

       you would see His words always before your eyes.

  4.  Write His words upon your doorposts and upon your gates.

If the Hebrews obeyed these instructions, they would be constantly discussing the words which IAUE had spoken and the things He had commanded them to do.  They would be thinking about His words constantly.  They would go to bed thinking of His words.  They would awaken with His words being their first thoughts of the day.  They would teach their children “diligently” all that IAUE had spoken.  They would see His words on their house, on their gates, on their hands and upon the hands of every other person they would see during the course of the day.  In fact, there was virtually no occasion they could experience where the Word of IAUE was not a part of that experience.

Now, let’s move to the 21^st century.  Do we teach the word of IAUE diligently to our children; or do we let them just learn whatever is taught in Sunday School classes, that information being totally out of our control. Or do we let them watch “Christian” cartoons on television to learn whatever that might teach them? Or do we just let them learn whatever it is that public schools teach them to indoctrinate them?

What about yourself?  Do you awaken with a hunger to discuss the Scriptures with your spouse or family members or roommate(s)?  Is the Scripture what you discuss whenever you are sitting at home or walking by the way? 

If we are not saturating ourselves with the words of IAUE, then our soul is being molded by whatever is saturating us.  The more we speak IAUE’s words, the more we discuss His words, the more we meditate on His words, the more we recognize His words are the ultimate truth, the ultimate reality; and anything else we see or hear to the contrary is nothing more than a lie and an illusion.

Romans 3:4 …let Elohm be true, but every man a liar…

In confessing the Scriptures (saying the same thing IAUE says), we are agreeing with His words that they are true.  In the process, we build an image inside our heart of the very thing IAUE has said.  For example, the Scripture says “By his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). Most believers have no image inside of them of that word actually being true.  If it were true, why then are so many believers sick, get the flu, contract deadly diseases, etc.?  Did you know that the very same passage of Scripture that says “By his stripes we are healed,” also says the he bore our sins, our iniquities, our trespasses upon his body to bring forgiveness of sins to all men?  Why is it that we so easily believe we are forgiven? We rely upon that to be factual.  Our eternity is based, in some part, upon our conviction of that being true? We are confident of it because we have heard THAT part of this Scripture enough to be convinced it is actually true; and yet within the same context of that declaration is the truth that healing was provided by the impaling of Messiah on equal footing with forgiveness of sin.   

If we find this and other passages of Scripture that speak of healing being provided, or of IAUE being our healer, or of Him sending His word and healing us; or of his words being life and health to all our flesh, and we being to speak those words back to IAUE in agreement with His words; we will begin to see within ourselves, in our own heart, that we actually are healed, set free, delivered.  Once the image in our heart matches the image declared by the words of IAUE, the corresponding reality within our newborn spirit is released through our soul and into our body.  Yes, healing and health is already within us.  We know it is so because IAUE says it is so.

Move from that illustration to the one painted by the words of IAUE in Mark 16:17-18 that declares that in the name of Yahushua, the believer will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.  Do you believe that is true?  Can you see it inside of you, in your heart?  Can you see yourself laying your hands on the sick and expecting them to recover from whatever sickness or disease they might have?  Most probably can’t; but then most have not spoken these words back to IAUE in full agreement with them being the truth.  The more you confess His words (say the same thing as His words, in agreement that what He has said is the truth) the more that image grows within you.  You see, confessing IAUE’s word is planting the seed of His word in your heart.  The more you confess His word, the more that seed grows. Eventually, the plant will develop and blossom and produce fruit.  That fruit is the same image inside of you as the image inside your newborn spirit…and when that happens, the release of the spirit takes place; and the Kingdom of Heaven (which is within us) is manifest in our lives.  All such release of the spirit is also a demonstration of our total allegiance to the will of IAUE.  When we believe what He has said and bow to it, our submission to His authority and veracity is demonstrated to the world around us.  This is how we become salt and light to the world.

Every word of IAUE is filled with His power.  We have but to believe His word is truth and speak it back to Him.  This process changes us.  It changes the way we think; and when we begin to see the fruit of His word grown in our hearts and shining in our lives for all to see; it only draws our heart deeper into Him…and away from the flesh.  The flesh offers us absolutely nothing but death and chaos.  It will take us awhile to fully realize that; but the more we harmonize with IAUE’s words with our lips, the less desirable the flesh becomes, and the more our mind is renewed and our soul is transformed from glory to glory (increasing in the manifestation of the righteousness of Yahushua…the likeness of IAUE).

There is an abundance of treasure within our newborn spirit.  Most of that treasure is expressed in many different passages of Scripture; so search it out.  Do not find just a single sentence or half-sentence to speak back to IAUE.  In our illustration of healing above, there is much more we can say back to IAUE than “By the stripes of Yahushua, I am healed.”  There are scores of verses in Old and New Testaments to confirm and support this reality.  Find them.  Speak them all back to Him.

Additionally, there are a number of prayers recorded for us in the Scriptures that demonstrate the will of IAUE.  We can find those prayers, and change the direction of those verses from requests for something for our embracing the reality of those requests in our own lives.  For example; in Colossians, Paul prays for the fellowship in Colosse:

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10 That ye might walk worthy of IAUE unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of Elohim;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

We can speak this back to IAUE as a reality in our own lives, and thus build the corresponding image of this reality in our hearts that will release the promise from our newborn spirit.  You might say it like this:

“Father IAUE, you have filled me with knowledge of your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding  You empower me to walk worthy of you unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and continuously increasing in the knowledge of You.  You have strengthened (empowered) me with all might (power) according to your glorious power producing all patience, longsuffering and joyfulness within me.  Thank you Father!  Thank you for making me a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light!”

The more you speak this back to the Father, the more you will find yourself believing it to be your actual experience in IAUE; because you will realize this is the will of IAUE for you; and you are consenting to it in your own life.

Another example:

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Master Yahushua Messiah,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Messiah may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Messiah, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of Elohim.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Messiah Yahushua throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

To speak this back to IAUE, we might declare it like this:

“Father IAUE, I thank you that you have granted me according to the riches of your glory that I should be empowered with the power of your Spirit in my inner man such that Messiah now dwells in my heart by faith.  Thank you for causing me to be rooted and grounded in love so much that I am able to comprehend with all the saints the breadth, length, depth and height of the love of Messiah which enables me to be filled with the fullness of You.  Thank you that you do this within me in such a way that it exceeds my own imagination according to Your power that works on the inside of me.”

If you want to know and experience and share the love of IAUE with others, to know compassion for all mankind, this is the prayer to make a reality in your life. Speak it back to IAUE in faith, believing His words are truth.

In your study or reading of the Scriptures this week, look for things the Scripture declares that Messiah is made unto us, things that IAUE says are true of us, things that He has provided to and for us; and things that are prayed in the Scriptures for believers.  Personalize them and speak them back to IAUE.  By this time next week, you will have undergone more transformation of the soul.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – VIII

WBS.171

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – VIII

Luke 17:21 …behold, the kingdom of IAUE is within you.

When IAUE speaks regarding us, His creative power and His faith fill those words; and the Spirit of IAUE is prepared to release the creative power to bring manifestation to those words; but the Spirit is now waiting for us.  He is waiting for US to speak the same words back to IAUE to complete the connection.  Why is this?  It is because IAUE gave dominion to man over all the works of His hands in the earth (Genesis 1:26-30).  IAUE provided to His man everything pertaining to life and godliness (the manifestation of the likeness of IAUE…the manifestation of righteousness); but man must now appropriate it with his own words of faith by concurring with the words of IAUE.

Contemporary Christianity, for the most part, resembles what Paul warned Timothy would come:

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be…

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

When Paul preached the gospel he was conscious that he was representing the Kingdom of Heaven; and as such, he needed to demonstrate the power, authority, nature and character of the Kingdom of Heaven.  He was not trying to convince men of a new way of thinking about life.  He was not presenting a new philosophy.  He was commanding men to repent and to align themselves accordingly with the Kingdom of Heaven that was/is at hand.

1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of IAUE.

2 For I determined not to know anything among you, save Yahushua Messiah, and him impaled.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of IAUE.

Romans 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Messiah.

Paul understood the necessity of walking in the spirit in order to experience the release of the spirit, the release of the life and light and power of IAUE invested within the newborn spirit. Our current study is designed to show us how the transformation of the soul is intended 1) to transform our own lives into the likeness of IAUE through the increasing manifestation of His righteousness placed within us; and thereby 2) to bring a powerful demonstration of the Kingdom of Heaven to those who are around us. 

So far, we have been discussing the transformation of the soul by building bridges from our spirit to our body.  We have been focused upon the change of our soul from glory to glory, being changed into the likeness of our Creator as the life and light and power of IAUE moves through it unto manifestation in our body, acting upon our soul as it passes through it.  We have observed that this likeness is nothing more than the fruit of righteousness that changes our character, attitudes, thought processes…and our words and works.  Our illustrations have begun with doing simple things that we can know from Scripture are the will of IAUE.  Without DOING the will of IAUE we will never experience a release of that which is invested within our newborn spirit. Obedience to the will of IAUE is what opens the door of our spirit. With the release of the spirit comes a manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven. Persistent obedience to the will of IAUE changes the way we think, it changes our soul and enables the release of the spirit. 

If you have been persistent over the past few weeks to consciously give thanks in all things, to rejoice regularly throughout the day for the things IAUE has done to and for us, and to pray throughout the day for the will of IAUE to be known and to be done, then you most assuredly have noticed that you now think differently. Your soul (mind, will, emotions) is far more directed toward the spirit than to the flesh.  When the enemy speaks through the dust, you are far less inclined to listen to him; and perhaps even moreso inclined to tell him to shut up.  You may have even pondered, “What damage to my bridge building would come from my listening to and obeying the whisperings of my flesh?”  Building those bridges has become so important and so exciting that the process simply is not worth being compromised by catering to ideas that lead us astray from the will of IAUE. The mind has been renewed in these areas due to persistent obedience to the word and will of IAUE.

Today, I want to begin to discuss more elements to this bridge building process.  Last week we ended with this comment:

When IAUE speaks regarding us, His creative power and His faith fill those words; and the Spirit of IAUE is prepared to release the creative power to bring manifestation to those words; but the Spirit is now waiting for us.  He is waiting for US to speak the same words back to IAUE to complete the connection.  Why is this?  It is because IAUE gave dominion to man over all the works of His hands in the earth (Genesis 1:26-30). 

Though we have not stated it yet, one of the principle reasons why you have been able to build a bridge of thanksgiving, rejoicing and prayer is because you have acted on the Word of IAUE; and in the process, you have spoken the Word of IAUE back to Him.  He commanded you to give thanks in all things, so you have in essence (or literally) responded by saying, “Father, it is written.  You have commanded me to give thanks in all things, rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing; so I obey your command.”  You have spoken back to IAUE what He has spoken to you.  In so doing, you have established the connection upon which the process of building the bridge has begun.  You can imagine that connection as the blueprint upon which the bridge shall be built. You have agreed with IAUE on the design and upon the end product.

If you will do a word study in the Scriptures regarding what it says about thanksgiving, rejoicing and praying, and then speak IAUE’s words back to Him, you will accomplish several things.  You will build your own faith, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of IAUE (Romans 10:17). This will increase your confidence in the process until, as Paul said of Abraham, you become “fully persuaded” (Romans 4:21).

Secondly, the parable of the sower teaches us that the Word of IAUE is sown in our “heart” not in our head; so you will erect a harmonious pillar in the heart upon which the bridge will be supported.  If there isn’t a foundation of the Word of IAUE in the heart, the bridge will not be adequately supported.  This will lead to confusion because you will not experience the release of the spirit while your belief is only in your head.  You must believe in your heart. 

 Notice this transaction that Paul uses to explain what produces salvation.

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Messiah down from above:)

7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Messiah again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Master Yahushua, and shalt believe in thine heart that IAUE hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Belief in the heart brings forth the righteousness of IAUE; but the confession of the mouth is what completes the transaction and results in our deliverance. What does it mean to confess?  This word in the Greek is “homologeo,” and it means “to say the same thing as another;” in other words, saying the same thing IAUE says. So, we need to plant in our heart the Word of IAUE until it produces the image inside of us of that which we hope to see manifest on the outside of us…then we confess it.  We say what IAUE says about it.

As the people of IAUE, we should constantly be speaking back to Him that which He says about us.  We should be doing what He says we are to do.  We should behave as He instructs us to behave; and we should believe in our hearts and be fully persuaded regarding everything He says about us; and one of the things He says about us is that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us.  We have only mentioned thanksgiving, rejoicing and praying so far in our discussion; but ultimately, we are going to be talking about the total release of the spirit. 

Yes, the soul will be transformed through every phase of the process, as our mind is renewed point by point, and our obedience to the Father’s will continually builds the bridges necessary to manifest the Kingdom of Heaven in our lives; but we have virtually unlimited resources invested by IAUE into our newborn spirit that we are to manifest in our lives; and most of Christendom has remained ignorant of it for centuries.  Remember what the Scriptures said of Paul making his presentation of the gospel ALWAYS with signs and wonders and in the power of the Holy Spirit?  There was absolutely NOTHING different invested into Paul’s newborn spirit than that which is invested into ours.  We simply have not understood it was there, or that it was possible to access it. We may have thought we had to be worthy of it, or called to it, or receive some special anointing to access it.  Wrong teaching and the traditions of men have turned the gospel into a philosophy…the wisdom of man’s words; but the Scripture says the gospel is the POWER of IAUE unto salvation unto all men.  

The Holy Spirit earnestly desires to aide us in the release of the wondrous treasure that is contained within us.  We have simply been too enamored with the flesh to take notice.  If you have been obedient to the will of IAUE over the past few weeks to give thanks in all things, rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing, you have become aware of a whole new way of living that awaits you. The flesh has never seemed less interesting to you. What a difference simple obedience can bring!

Next week we will delve more thoroughly into this role of confession, of saying back to IAUE what He says.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – VII

WBS.170

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – VII

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

We can 1. give thanks in all things, 2. rejoice evermore and, 3. pray without ceasing knowing with confidence that they are the will of IAUE for our lives.  We can also be confident that they manifest the Kingdom of IAUE in the earth and bring the power of the Kingdom of IAUE to bear in and through our lives to those around us.

If you have begun to practice these three activities, you may have observed at first a degree of difficulty.  Do not give up on them.  What usually occurs at first is a “choice” to give thanks, to rejoice and to pray; but the activity is based upon whatever thoughts are in your mind…your academic collection of what you have heard or learned in Scripture.  Let’s call this “priming the pump.”  We could also call it “planting the seed.”  When you plant a seed, you do not harvest the wheat the next day.  A farmer absolutely knows without a shred of doubt, however, that once the seed is planted, the seed begins to release its power to begin the growth process.

You might give thanks for Messiah’s sacrifice on your behalf, for the Holy Spirit in your life, then move on to thanking IAUE for your house, your job, your family, your friends…and five minutes later you have run out of things for which to express thanks. You really haven’t quite understood how you can give Him thanks in the middle of financial difficulty, pressure at work, relationships that have gone sour.  That’s okay.  Unless thanksgiving was already a natural function of your life, that experience is going to be common with anyone who has chosen to move into discipleship from just being a believer. 

The same is true for rejoicing.  Now, rejoicing is an even less common experience to most because we do not tend to think in terms of rejoicing.  This activity might not have come as easily to you as giving thanks or even praying. The difference between thanksgiving and rejoicing is this.  Giving thanks expresses appreciation for what IAUE or Messiah, or even other people have done for us.  Rejoicing is celebrating over the impact of what was done.  For example:  If you are deeply in debt, that problem has caused many ripples of other problems in your life.  If someone comes up to you and hands you a check to pay all of your debts, you would “THANK” that person profusely with sincere gratitude; but when you got home to your family, you would REJOICE with your family that you were now debt free and liberated from all of the bondage it brought into your family’s experience.  You rejoice over the ramifications and impact of becoming debt free.  You give thanks for the gift.  You rejoice over what the gift means to you.  When the gift is temporal, as in our illustration above, the rejoicing is short-lived  because the effects of the gift, that of being debt free, will eventually become the normal experience; and we will no longer consider it a matter for rejoicing.  When the gift, however, is eternal, there is no way the rejoicing can ever become tired or without foundation.

Understanding this helps us to understand the “bridges” we discussed last week. (A bridge is a transfer of life and light and power from our newborn spirit through our soul into and out of the body.)

 When at first our activity proceeds forth from academic facts stored in our mind, the corresponding bridge does not appear instantaneously.  Until we have tapped the thanksgiving, the rejoicing and the unceasing prayer that is in our newborn spirit, our obedience to the command of Scripture to give thanks, rejoice and pray begins the process of building the corresponding bridge.  Until the soul embraces thanksgiving, rejoicing and prayer as a way of life, a life of obedience to the will of IAUE that becomes a core value in our hearts, we have not provided the corresponding image to our spirit in order to release the power of the Holy Spirit through us to others.

In the above image, we see illustrated how the choice in our minds to give thanks, rejoice and to pray without ceasing begins to reach through the soul into the heart, seeking its counterpart in our spirit.

Here, we see that by maintaining the determined practice of DOING THE WORD OF IAUE (giving thanks, rejoicing, praying) and not just being a hearer of His word, our planted seed grows until it finds its counterpart in our spirit.  Do you recall our illustration a few weeks ago of the “Concentration” game, where you try to match the images behind the tiles?  When you make a match, the tiles are removed from the board, and the image behind the tiles is exposed.  THAT is the completion of the bridge; and the glory of IAUE is revealed to shed abroad His life, light and power in our lives to others.

This illustration is a bit busy, but you can see that once the bridge has been completed by persistent obedience to the will of IAUE, first begun as a choice in the mind, it becomes forever after a release of the spirit.  Thanksgiving and rejoicing and prayer are now fueled by the grace of IAUE; and they become effortless and natural to us. They become a way of life to us.

Through this transaction, the Kingdom of Heaven is manifested in our lives.  The treasure in earthen vessels is exposed to the world around us; and how is this made possible?  It is by simple obedience to the Word of IAUE…simple obedience to what we know is our Father’s will. 

Now, I want to introduce why this process works, and how it has the power to manifest the Kindgom of Heaven in and through our lives. 

Luke 17:21 …behold, the kingdom of IAUE is within you.

We have discussed many times in this blog that man is the pinnacle of the creation of IAUE; and that the purpose of man’s creation, his design function, is to do the will of IAUE.  Man was created in IAUE’s image and after His likeness; but that was forfeited in the fall of man in the garden of Eden. Yahushua came to restore to man the image and likeness of IAUE and to restore his ability to fulfill his design function. Doing the will of IAUE is what makes that happen; it is what transforms us into His likeness from glory to glory.  This transformation is effected by the Spirit of IAUE.  What I want us to see is the role of the Holy Spirit in this process.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Note, the Spirit of IAUE was moving upon the surface of the earth waiting…waiting for Elohim to speak.  Once the word was spoken, “Light be!” the Spirit created light.  Each time Elohim spoke, the Spirit of Elohim created.  The words spoken by IAUE are full of creative power.  They are filled with the faith of IAUE.  He speaks, and His Spirit brings it to pass.

When IAUE speaks regarding us, His creative power and His faith fill those words; and the Spirit of IAUE is prepared to release the creative power to bring manifestation to those words; but the Spirit is now waiting for us.  He is waiting for US to speak the same words back to IAUE to complete the connection.  Why is this?  It is because IAUE gave dominion to man over all the works of His hands in the earth (Genesis 1:26-30).  IAUE provided to His man everything pertaining to life and godliness (the manifestation of the likeness of IAUE…the manifestation of righteousness); but man must now appropriate it with his own words of faith by concurring with the words of IAUE.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of IAUE, and of Yahushua our Master,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

This opens up a whole new concept for us in the transformation of the soul; but you will have a first-hand demonstration of what we will be discussing over the next few weeks if you continue to persist in giving thanks, rejoicing and praying without ceasing.  Keep building your bridges. This is about to get really exciting.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – VI

WBS.169

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – VI

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

IAUE does not require that we do His will as an end in itself.  IAUE wants us to do His will also because it releases His power through us to those around us.  It also changes us…and that is the point of this series of studies.

Allow me to reiterate a few points we have made so far in this series.

1.  The spirits of all men return to the Father who gave it, whether those spirits have been “dead” or “born again.”  The souls of all men do not return to the Father.

2.  The new birth is the Father’s way of restoring the capacity to man to have his soul transformed into His likeness, into the nature and character of righteousness; which restores to man his obedience to the will of IAUE, the very purpose of his design in creation.

3.  The soul of man is NOT going to be transformed unless it embraces the treasure that has been invested within the “new creature” and yields to its expression in his body. 

4.  Through this process of yielding to the new life within the spirit of man, the soul is transformed into the likeness of IAUE; and the power of the Spirit of IAUE is released through the body to all those around us.   

For the past two weeks, we have discussed ways in which we can do the will of IAUE without having to “hear the voice of the Spirit” giving us specific direction as to what is the will of IAUE for our life.  This process of learning to hear the voice of the Spirit, and thus to know what the Father’s will is for our life can be jump-started by actually choosing to do, now, what the already-revealed will of IAUE is for us.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto IAUE and the Father in the name of our Master Yahushua Messiah;

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of IAUE in Messiah Yahushua concerning you.

We KNOW it is IAUE’s will for us to give thanks in all things.  He has told us plainly in the Scriptures.  We do not need another word from IAUE ever again to know that He wants us to have a nature that constantly gives thanks.  We also have seen from the Scriptures that one way in which He wants that thankfulness expressed is in songs, hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts to Him.  It is difficult to be upset, disappointed, discouraged, downhearted, etc., if we always have a song of thanks to IAUE playing 24-7 in our heart.  A thankful heart produces a thankful soul, which in turn produces a thankful person in the eyes of those around us.  That “attitude of gratitude” releases the power of the Holy Spirit and absolutely affects those around us.  If you don’t believe it, start choosing to thank people for everything they do, for the service they provide, for the work they do, for the acts of kindness they do; and let them see in your eyes and face and body language that you really are thankful.  The appreciation coming from you, will be accompanied by the appreciation of IAUE for them; and that is how the Spirit of IAUE is released to bless others through you.

We then looked at the will of IAUE in the Scripture to do something similar to giving thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore.

The joy that is part of the nature of the Holy Spirit; and part of the nature of the New Man which is our born-again spirit, is watered and cultivated by the renewing of our mind; and by choosing to reject all opposition to its expression.  This yields the fruit which is the rejoicing of our lips giving glory to IAUE and to the Master Yahushua Messiah.  It is similar to always being thankful; but it goes beyond thanksgiving.  It recognizes the glory of what Messiah and His Father have done for us.  It recognizes all the barriers and opposition that Messiah demolished to bring us FORGIVENESS, REMISSION (freedom from the power of sin) LIFE and POWER.  Rejoicing recognizes that Yahushua did not have to do what he did for us; but he did it anyway.  Why did he do it?

Hebrews 12:2  Looking unto Yahushua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.

Being thankful comes from understanding the goodness of IAUE that saturates absolutely everything He does and how He is benefitting you in ALL THINGS in and around your life.  He works ALL THINGS according to the counsel of His will. Rejoicing is celebrating what He has done; and we should well understand how deserving of celebration He is.  Rejoicing also releases the power of the Holy Spirit through our lives to those around us.  Thanksgiving and rejoicing are life changing activities that come from our obedience to the will of IAUE.

Today, I want to look at a third command of Scriptures which is the unmistakable will of IAUE, such that we need not have a special word from the Holy Spirit to tell us this is what IAUE wants us to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

This is a verse that many a believer has wished they never saw in the Scriptures.  Prayer is the one activity that the overwhelming majority of believers are loath to do.  They will spend countless hours in Bible study or church-related activity just to prevent the necessity of five minutes in prayer; and here we see prayer as a continual activity that should mark every waking hour of the believer.  This is the will of IAUE for us.  It is revealed in the Word of IAUE.  It cannot be legitimately challenged that it is IAUE’s will for us. 

Let’s examine this declaration of our Father’s will.  The word used in the Greek manuscripts for “Pray” is proseuchomai. This is the term generally used throughout the New Testament when it speaks of prayer; but our failure to delve into this word more thoroughly is one of the reasons why believers tend to oppose its activity. This word has a very specific application. It is formed of two words:  pros and euchomai.  Pros is a highly directional word…it refers to an action that is taken UNTO an objective.  Euchomai has reference to a wish or will. Prayer is not asking our  Father for things that WE want. The Scripture tells us that His divine power has already given us ALL THINGS that pertain unto life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). There is precious little that we ever need to pray for ourselves. Prayer is specifically seeking the will of IAUE.  Since our function, our creative design is to do the Father’s will; what could be a more natural expression of His will for us than to continually be seeking His will. Consider the model prayer that Messiah taught his disciples.

Matthew 6: 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Notice how the first “request” made in this prayer is for the will of IAUE to be obeyed in this world as it is being obeyed in heaven.  This is the way the Kingdom of IAUE is made manifest; by the demonstration of men and women who are responsive to His reign, to His dominion over them.  We merely need today’s sustenance (daily bread), and relief from our debts in proportion to our release of the debts others owe us. 

This concept of indebtedness actually speaks of obligations or commitments we have made that have the ability to interfere with the will of IAUE in our life.  If I have obligated myself to do something for another that prevents me from doing something IAUE wants me to do at the same time; I have indebted myself into disobeying His will; and thus, I cannot even be one who brings obedience to His will into this world as it is done in Heaven..  You see, His will is everything.  It is what saturates this “model prayer.”  Even the request that He should lead us not into temptation, is a request that He direct our lives away from the things that still hold a place of affection in our hearts.  James tells us that IAUE does not tempt man.  We are tempted when we are lead away by our own desires; and that when we pursue those desires, we disobey the will of IAUE and bring the effects of death to our lives rather than the effects of the life of IAUE, which all obedience to His will does.

Paul instructs Timothy about a second aspect of praying without ceasing.

1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

I often refer to this verse as instructions to turn on the “spigot” to let the water of the Holy Spirit flow through our lives.  Without going into the various Greek words to support this illustration; allow me to explain briefly the process Paul is describing.

Supplications are offered on the immediate and obvious need of a circumstance or situation.  It does not require supernatural knowledge to know IAUE’s help is needed to bear on matters that even the natural man can see needs His intervention; prayers, however, takes supplication to the next step. Prayer is seeking the voice of the Spirit to know what the Father’s will is in the matter.  Prayer will reveal to us specifically how to pray and what to pray in order to accomplish the Father’s will in the matter.  After we have His will revealed, we enter intercession to entreat IAUE exactly in the manner that He has revealed to us that we are to do.  At some point in intercession we will receive the acknowledgement from the Holy Spirit that all has been accomplished.  That is when we enter giving of thanks; and through our thanksgiving, we bring the answer provided in the spiritual world to manifestation in the natural world.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  Get it?  Prayer is what brings the power of the Holy Spirit through us to those around us.

Giving thanks always for all things, rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing--Think of these as BRIDGES.  They connect the life and power of IAUE invested into our spirit across our heart and soul, to our body.  

 As our obedience to the will of IAUE in these areas causes the current of the Spirit to run through our soul, our soul is transformed into the likeness of the righteousness of IAUE.  All obedience to His will forms such bridges.  These three that we have discussed over these past three weeks are activities we can do knowing with confidence that they are the will of IAUE for our lives, and that they manifest the Kingdom of IAUE in the earth and bring the power of the Kingdom of IAUE to bear in and through our lives to those around us.  (Thy Kingdom come.  Thy will be done.)

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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