How Are You Programmed?

     I hope you agree with me that we live in a very blessed time.  As bleak and unpromising as the future of this world and its cultures appear, I am extremely excited to see God increasingly unveiling His knowledge in more and more rapid surges of revelation.  I mean, we have access to podcasts and books and in-depth studies of Scripture by men and women who are making it their life's work to cast aside man-made religious doctrines in order to fully understand what God says and wants from His people.

     For instance, the truly discerning believers of Christ know that the Bible is a supernatural book; that it is, at its foundation, a book about the Hebrew people and their relationship with YHWH.  We have the benefit of learning from scholars who are studying the Hebrew language to give us a much broader and fuller understanding of Scripture than the Greek-to-English translations have afforded us.  We have the opportunity to learn and question the research of scholars and teachers who are not willing to accept man's traditions as superior to the Word, and are seeking to come closer to God and to possess the facts of His Truth.  That is called KNOWLEDGE.  And the interpretation of that Truth is what we know as UNDERSTANDING.  The application of that Truth is called WISDOM.
     Now, before you go and give me any kind of praise for this explanation, I must give credit where credit is due.  I am going to present a new understanding that I have been gleaning and formulating about our spirituality from one of those young men who is truly a blessing to this generation.  Dan Duval is among a group of young and bold and faithful disciples of Christ (including Justen Faull, Russ Dizdar, Michael Heiser) who have not only immersed themselves in studying the Greek and Hebrew Bibles for greater insight into God, but have gone where the Church is either too afraid or too unenlightened to venture -- spiritual warfare, deliverance and healing, satanic ritual abuse, and the application of Jesus's Power and Authority through us, His commissioned followers.  But they have also taken advantage of the internet, social media, and technology -- tools that satan has successfully used to lure our younger generation and society into spiritual bondage -- and they all have ministries whose goals are to bring more souls into the Kingdom of God.  They have successful podcasts, blogs, books, videos, and even online church services that are reaching multitudes for Christ.  And their work is all done to glorify God from a Scriptural foundation and according to the dictates of His Word!
     All that being said, Dan Duval has written a couple of books that incorporate an idea that is opening up a new understanding of Scripture for me everyday.  It concerns the matters of our heart, and I literally have a more expansive vision of the Word, and am seeing the application of this new understanding as I read old, familiar verses.  I know I can't express all of it in one blog post, so I hope you will continue to follow me as I try to explain how Scripture has opened up to me.
     To begin with, I approached this subject of the heart in a post on the Parable of the Sower, and that is really where I began to see how central our hearts are to the application of our faith, and how important it was to Jesus that we understand that.  I also wrote about how the conditions of our hearts affect everything we think, say, and do in this post.  But Dan Duval has pointed me to further examples in Scripture and I am beginning to see how I have glossed over these verses, without seeing how fundamental they are to my Christian walk.  So, I am going to try to lay out the process I am undergoing and share with you these new facts of God's Truth.
     First, we need to gain an understanding of just how the heart plays into God's creation of Man.  I am not a scholarly person, so please excuse me if this seems elementary, but it is the steps I have taken to enter into the higher and deeper dimensions of God...  We all know that the completion of His creation is evidenced in our spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  We're pretty clear on what constitutes our spirit and our body, but we need to understand that our soul consists of our mind, will, and emotions.  So where does the heart fit into all this?
     If we understand that the heart is kind of a gateway, or entry point, from our soul to our spirit, then we can see that it plays a very important part in how we act out our faith.  Think of it as a processing plant between our soul and spirit -- the spirit feeds spiritual information into the heart, and the soul feeds carnal information into our hearts (from our minds, our emotions, and our life experiences, or will).  The heart then processes all that information, and sends information out that shapes the activity of both the soul and spirit based on the belief system that is operating in us.  In this way, whatever the heart is convinced of, shapes the person's reality.  This is what is meant when Scripture tells us, "as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7).  (Join me on Sunday as I show how this played out in the life of Ananais and his wife Sapphira in the Book of Acts).
     As we contemplate the heart, it is vital that we understand that the collection of all the information coming from our soul and our spirit into our heart, is what makes up, or forms, our worldview.  So, if you have no relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, you will not have much spiritual knowledge flowing into your heart; only the carnal knowledge coming from your thoughts and how the world affects you through your experiences ... so you will likely have a secular, humanist worldview.  On the other hand, if you are saved, and have a personal relationship with Jesus, then that knowledge will mix with your fleshly thoughts, your feelings and what the world throws at you, to bring you into some form of spiritual or Biblical worldview.  If you are of the latter persuasion, then how you respond to this life on earth will be determined by how your heart processes that mixture of information.  In other words, what are the "thoughts of your heart"?  And can they be changed  or programmed to respond in one direction or another?
     Dan Duval exposits that there are three main ways to program the heart.  The programming is dependent on which kingdom has created the program (or, as I understand it, who wields the most influence in your heart).  Who sits on the throne of the kingdom of your heart -- God, man, or the Prince of Darkness?  Although we have three kinds of kingdoms in operation here, there are really only two agendas -- the Christ agenda for the redemption of mankind and the antichrist agenda that denies Jesus is Lord.  There is no middle ground, and no other alternative.  The kingdoms that we set up for ourselves (both in the heart and in the world) either further the Christ agenda by submitting to it, or stand in its way by resisting it.
     So how are our hearts programmed by each of these kingdom sources?  Again, Mr. Duval presents an interesting paradigm.... In the Kingdom of God, our hearts are programmed through revelation.  God's revelations of Himself yield a love-based paradigm, in which we think and act like God thinks and acts.  In the Kingdom of Men, our hearts are programmed through repetition, which becomes tradition.  This is the difference between religion and relationship.  We will think and act like our forefathers thought and acted.  We see that in the centuries old doctrines of our churches.  And in the Kingdom of Darkness, our hearts are programmed through trauma, which opens doors for bondage and satan's lies, which generates fear.  We begin to think and act according to the lies he whispers and the way he acts.
     I don't want to overwhelm you with a difficult concept, but I hope you can see that there is a war for our hearts.  The spirit and the soul are in a perpetual battle for the thoughts of our hearts.  For us Christians, while the spirit is attempting to program the heart according to the truths of God and His kingdom, the soul is attempting to program the heart according to the experiences of our lives.  That is why the Bible tells us that we must continually renew our minds with the Word of God.  Our minds are such a strong component of our soul that we will serve what we yield ourselves to, and what we yield to will become the primary influence upon our hearts.  So what we think greatly affects our hearts and how we ultimately act.  That's why the Bible tells us to take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ.
     I think the best example I can show you of how we, as humans, must program our hearts is found in the first chapter of the Book of Daniel.  I have read and studied this inspiring book with my Home Church group, but am reading it again as I make my way through the Bible ... one more time.  In Daniel 1:8, the King James version reads, But Daniel purposed in his heart, that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank...  The Amplified version reads, But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself with the [a]king’s finest food or with the wine which the king drank...
     Can you see this concept of programming our hearts played out in Daniel's faithful act?  Can you see the struggle within his heart -- how he had to process the information coming from his spirit with the information coming from his mind, emotions, and will?  Daniel knew that the king's food would have been sacrificed to pagan gods; and he knows that because his name has been changed from Daniel ("God is my Judge") to Belteshazzar ("The pagan god Bel will protect my life"), if he participates in eating the king's food, he will be giving the impression that he agreed to follow the pagan practices.  This is where Daniel "purposed his heart" according to the belief system of the Kingdom that lived within his heart.  Daniel's heart was programmed by the Kingdom of God, so he acted and thought like God, and out of his love for God, he chose not to compromise.  He made up his mind; "for as he thinks, so in his heart, is he".  Do you see just how powerful our minds can be in overwhelming our hearts?
     I challenge you to look up all the verses in the Bible about the heart.  I believe that, like me, you will find new inspiration and revelation as to how important the state of our heart is to our faith and our salvation journey.  And I think you will discover just how important renewing our mind is to programming our hearts.  Also, I believe that you will find new meaning in verses like this:  "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me"  (Psalm 51:10); and this one:  "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart"  (Hebrews 4:12).
     Finally, I will be showing you with my Scripture choice on Sunday, how the Enemy targets the heart to influence us and take us captive, filling it with his deception and wickedness.   But when our heart is circumcised with the love and commands of the Lord, everything that flows out of it is for the glory of God's Kingdom.  Stay tuned!

Proverbs 4:23    "Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life."
   
   

   
 

Jeremiah 7:2-4

Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim there this word

 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 

“Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 

Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, 

the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

     I must admit something as I write this blog this morning ... first, that Jeremiah is my favorite prophet because he seems so human; I can identify with him and his impatience with the stiff-necked people of Judah.  Like Jeremiah, I often harbor harsh criticism for those who are willing to accept the blessings of God while rejecting Him.  At the same time, I am filled with sadness for the reality of where they will spend eternity if they do not set aside their pride and worldliness in favor of surrendering all to God. I struggle with whether it is okay for me to be offended on behalf of Jesus.  But then I look at Jeremiah, and see myself.  

     In fact, in Jeremiah 7:2-4, I am seeing a situation that is being played out far too often in the affluent communities of America.  I have personally witnessed it, so I do not speak out of turn or about something that I know nothing of.  But I am offended when I see the wealthy in upscale communities vociferously competing for coveted spots for their children in Christian private schools.  Often, the efforts to place their children in these exclusive schools begins while the child is still in the womb! And it is not the desire for a Christian education that offends me, but rather the disinterest in knowing the Person upon whom the education is based.

     These parents are far too willing to set themselves (and their children) above what they consider a substandard education in the public schools, but they are equally consistent in denying faith [or any kind of relationship] in Jesus; He Who is the very foundation of the education their children are receiving. 

     But not all the blame can be laid at the feet of these defiant and rebellious parents.  Shame on the Churches and the Church schools who accept students whose parents do not support the Gospel of the Kingdom!  Is it all about the money that the parents pay that supports the Church organization [or should I say business]? Why isn't the Church concerned that the home be [necessarily] a stronghold of Faith? Are these Churches aware of the Parable of the Sower and how the Word that was sown on stony hearts had no depth in which to nourish the seed, and it therefore did not take root?  Is it possible that this supposedly prized "Christian education" is more about the prestige and the status, than it is about Christ?

     I personally have heard Elitist unbelieving parents bragging about writing a letter of recommendation to help another unbelieving friend's child gain entrance into their prestigious private school.  And my spirit saw Christ's grief-stricken face as I fought to control my righteous indignation! Like Jeremiah, I wanted to shout for them to amend their blasphemous deeds and words.  I wanted them to know what an honor it was for their child to be taught the ways of Jesus, and I wanted them to truly know the Lord who died for them! 

     I wanted these parents to know what I think of those Church school officials who are so tolerant of disbelief [by accepting massive amounts of tuition money]. These parents are trusting in the [lying] words of those who tell them it is okay to continue to worship the gods of this world [money, status, privilege], and then give lip service to how wonderful it is their child is attending this Christian school. Their exclamations of "The School, the School, the School" is no different than the Jewish sinners shouting to God in His House, and  proclaiming "The temple, the Temple, the Temple".

     Like Jeremiah, I am truly weary of this self-centered, egotistic, superficial, and self-seeking generation!  Why is Jesus and the Cross so offensive to these people who have everything?  They have no financial worries, no needs of any kind. Perhaps it is because nothing says you are a sinner more than the Cross, and no one says you are in need of a Savior, more than Jesus. He is a mirror that reflects our pride, our idolatry, and the darkness of our souls. And while I know that my indignation reflects what angers God, Himself, I need to be careful that my anger does not cause me to sin. So, for now, I will continue to bite my tongue. But I will never stop proclaiming my faith in Jesus -- even when the looks of disgust surface, and the eyes roll, and the subject is quickly changed ... And I will pray for their children; that they might bear fruit from hearing the Word and lead their parents to the knowledge of Jesus; a knowledge in which all the riches of this world pale in comparison.

      

Jeremiah 6:10

To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.

     The entire Sixth Chapter of Jeremiah is a lament for how far the children of Israel have strayed from God.  The aging prophet speaks the Lord's truth over the nation and Jerusalem; they are full of oppression, violence and plundering.  They have committed abominations against the Lord and are unashamed.  They ignore the teachings of the Prophets and reject the Word of the Lord.  Jeremiah calls them "stubborn rebels", and warns that there is a refining fire coming upon the Land, in which the Lord will no longer protect them.  He asks if there is anyone who will listen to him, but knows that no one will hear because their ears have been closed by God because He is tired of their rebellion.

     How often have we read this same cautionary warning in the New Testament?  How many times did Jesus say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  I will tell you that I am writing about this theme today because my husband had a recurring dream that I was to bring this to your attention, and that we were to pay special attention to exactly what it was that Jesus wanted us to hear.

     A glance at the Bible told me that our Lord spoke these words often, as an ancillary follow-up to His parables.  I found it interesting in Matthew 13, that the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke in parables, and He told them that the mysteries of Heaven had been given to certain people, but not to all.  As Matthew Henry, the 17th Century theologian, so eloquently puts it:  "A parable is a shell that keeps good fruit for the diligent, but keeps it from the slothful." 

     In other words, Knowledge is a gift from God, and through His Grace and Sovereignty, He gives or withholds it at His pleasure.  For the one who diligently wants to grow in his understanding of God, he will find that he hears the hidden message in the parables.  To those who hear God’s word, and see his divine interventions, and yet make no effort to understand and perceive His will, they will receive the teaching of the parables in vain.  The words of the Lord will be wasted on them, because their heart is hardened.

     So, just what did Jesus want us to hear?  In fact, in both Matthew 13, and Mark 9, the Parable of the Sower is repeated.  Apparently, God wants to make sure we get the meaning.  He is trying to teach the Disciples that the Gospel Message will not bear fruit among everyone with whom they share it.  There will be those who hear the Word, and it is easily taken from them because they do not guard it.  Others will embrace it for a time, but it has not pierced their hard hearts because it was laid in shallow ground.  Still others will hear the Word, but they are surrounded by forces that will choke the life out of it, and it cannot survive the sorrows of this world.  But they will have success when the Word is planted in a rich soil, and a yearning heart; it will grow, and spread and produce a harvest far beyond what was planted.  Those are the ones who will hear!

     In Mark, Chapter 4, is the difficult passage in which Jesus compares John the Baptist with the Prophet Elijah.  He reveals that the Spirit of Elijah, who was taken up to God, has now returned as God's Messenger through the Prophet John the Baptist.  When Jesus tells them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear", He is telling them, in essence, that those things were dark and hard to understand, and therefore needed their attention.  They were of great concern and consequence, and deserved their full scrutiny.  If they were given the gift of hearing and understanding, then they needed to use it to understand that John the Baptist is the one of whom their prophet Malachi spoke; the one who would prepare the way for their Messiah.  It was incumbent upon them to use the gift of understanding that they had been given by God, so that they could share it with others who would hear.

     The same could be said of Christ's repeated command to the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation:  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."  This directive is repeated for each of the Seven Churches in Revelation 1-3.  Don't you think He wants us to pay special attention to what is plainly revealed to us in these passages?  The Lord makes it very clear that He holds these Churches in His Right Hand -- they are HIS churches!  

     As He points out the characteristics of each Church, He tells them to hear what He has to say to them.  To the Loveless Church (Ephesus), He tells them to overcome their strict, legalistic heart and return (repent) to exemplifying the Love of Christ that they first demonstrated.  If they will hear what He has to say, they will once again eat of the Tree of Life and exhibit new life in their church.

     To the Persecuted Church (Smyrna) He reveals that He intimately knows the hate and suffering they are experiencing for His sake.  But wants them to hear the encouragement He is offering that they will be rewarded for their perseverance.

     To the Comprising Church (Pergamus), Jesus shows that He is aware that they have slipped in their devotion to Him, and have admitted false doctrine into His Church.  He wants those who will hear to eat only of His sustaining Bread, and to repent of their sins.  In return, they will receive new life in their faith.

     To the Corrupt Church (Thyratira), He appears as the Son of God, with blazing eyes.  He is angry that they have let the immorality of Jezebel overtake the purity of His Church.  He sternly warns those who follow her, that He is able to search hearts and minds, and His justice will be swift.  To those who have ears to understand His teaching, they will need to hold fast until He returns, and they will be given power over the nations.

     To the Dead Church (Sardis), Christ warns that He is not fooled by their good reputation of works, for He knows that their heart is cold and lifeless.  Once again He promises renewal to those who repent and understand the hearing of their ears.  

     It is only to the Faithful Church (at Philadelphia) that Jesus has strong praise.  They are an example of those who have used their ears to hear, and who have not denied His name, but kept His commandments to persevere in the midst of temptation and suffering.  

     And, finally, to the Lukewarm Church (Laodicea), Jesus warns them that their wealth and position will not buy them security in His kingdom.  They choose to hear only what makes them comfortable, and it will be their ruination.  He tells them to repent and seek His Kingdom, not the wealth of this world.  

     So, as you can see, when people shut up their ears, it is usually because the word of God is offensive to them.  It gives them no pleasure and they do not wish to receive the life-giving sustenance and wisdom that God offers them through faith in His Son.  And it is sad to contemplate that there will be some people to whom we cannot teach His Gospel Message, because they refuse to hear.  But we must not be discouraged, and continue to sow the Word upon all the ground before us. Ultimately, whether people hear or not, is the Sovereign decision of God.  But we must all be like Jeremiah and continue to ask "Who will listen to me?"  You never know whose life you will speak the Word into, and how they will respond.  But you can trust God to use it for His glorification! 

     

Our Sanctified Imaginations

     Whenever Mark and I receive one of God's Beloveds into our home to participate with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in an Inner Healing session, one of the most important factors in the success of that session is the Beloved's theology. What does he or she understand about God? Since there are always underlying experiences in a person's life that have led to spiritual pain and wounds, it is paramount that we all comprehend the "spiritual mechanics" by which both the Most High God and our Adversary operate.
     Most of us are familiar with Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 6 to "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil... and in all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one." And just what are those flaming darts? How do they affect us, and how do we extinguish them?
     I want to start off by saying that I am not alone in contending that our minds are a battleground. In fact, many books by prominent Christians have been written on the subject. And how many of us can identify with this statement: I know that I have fears concerning _____, and whenever a thought about it pops into my head, I am soon imagining all kinds of bad things happening, before it even starts!"  That's how a fiery dart works. And it can serve to keep you in bondage to fear, guilt, shame, anger, self-rejection or any other of the many accusations the Enemy lodges against you.

     So, here's what perplexes me -- why do so many Christians let the devil use their imaginations against them, yet refuse to engage their imaginations with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to get set free? Just because Satan uses our imaginations for evil doesn't mean that God can't use them for our good! Don't the words of Joseph to his brothers in Egypt apply here -- "what you meant for evil against me, God meant for good"?
     I wholeheartedly agree with Walter Brueggemann, who is an Old Testament scholar and theologian who is widely considered one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of the last several decades. He wrote: “The key pathology of our time, which seduces us all, is the reduction of the imagination, so that we are too numbed, satiated, and co-opted to do serious imaginative work.” We are told that we can't trust our imaginations; that we open ourselves to deception when we use our imaginations. "Guided Imagery" has become the catchphrase of those Christians who think employing our imaginations in spiritual matters is a slippery slope. NOTE: I will agree that man's human imagination is subject to being corrupted when not empowered by and engaged with the Holy Spirit. But that's not what I'm talking about here.
     So let me ask you this ... doesn't our imagination play a huge part in our relationship and revelation of God? Here's how I see it ... YHWH is a Creator God, and from His mind He created the universes and all that is in them, including us. We are made in His image. We resemble Him. We may not have His Divine mind, but we are a reflection of His mind/intellect and the freedom that accompanies it. That's why man can create things, too: art, music, and plays for instance. And why we can tell you the color of our spouse's eyes; visualize the snow-capped Rockie Mountains; and describe the brilliance of an ocean sunset -- when we are not in any of their presence!
     And you want to know why it is imperative that Christians use their imaginations? Because we worship "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see" (1 Timothy 6:15-16). Can you honestly tell me that you have never used your imagination when worshiping or "thinking upon" Jesus? Even if you only picture a familiar rendition of what He looked like, you must use your imagination to see that image in your mind. 
     The dictionary defines the word imagination this way: the action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses. And this is exactly the purpose behind Jesus using parables to teach His disciples. He was challenging them to lead a new way of life by hearing His "story", thinking about it, and applying it. It is impossible to understand the Parable of the Sower without using your imagination to "see" the different types of ground and what happened to the planted seed in each of the scenarios, and what that might mean in your faith walk.
     And that is how your imagination can be used in receiving Inner Healing. When we ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be present, the Beloved can picture what was once a wounding experience and see it as a healing event when Jesus walks into that experience. We know that He was there ... He told us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. So by seeing the reality of that truth -- instead of the lie the Enemy has been telling you all these years -- God allowed it to happen; God didn't care about what you were going through; God abandoned you in that moment -- the Beloved can receive a new image of that experience in the Light of God's love. What Satan once used to keep the Beloved in bondage is now seen as an act of being set free! The devil can no longer torment the Beloved in that memory because the pain of that wound has been replaced by the presence of Jesus in the memory and then sealed with His blood. What was once an open, painful sore in the mind, heart and spirit is now a scar; and scars don't hurt.

     Is the imagination "guided" towards healing in this scenario? Often the healing is spontaneous and instantaneous. But if it is guided at all, it is guided by the Holy Spirit. I believe God has given us His gift of imagination, and I have been blessed to witness Him speaking into that gift through the Holy Spirit, who guides a Beloved to receive the healing that only Jesus can bring.
     In conclusion, I want to say this about using our imaginations to hear from God. One of the most beautiful and inspiring Psalms in the Bible is Psalm 23. Strictly speaking [and without using our imagination] we can say it is a poem about God caring for us the way a shepherd cares for his sheep. But I can, in no way, discern the immeasurable love and power of God in those six short verses without using my imagination. Yes, my spirit can recognize the truth of the words, but it is my God-given imagination that allows my human mind to picture the green pastures and still waters of His provision and peace; my God-given imagination that speaks to my human heart that I have nothing to fear -- not even Death; and it is my God-given imagination that extracts the truth my spirit already knows ... I have an eternal inheritance awaiting me. 
      So, I will end with this thought ... Yes, we can know about Christ and God and the Holy Spirit by sticking strictly to the written Word and understanding it with our logical and reasoning mind. But to know Them is a different story. Knowing about Them and knowing Them are too different things. And I believe that we were created to tap into the creativity of the Godhead by using our imagination, the gateway into Their Presence. It is my prayer that you will reflect upon God and His goodness towards us, being open to revelations that God wants to share with you. Ask Him to sanctify your mind unto His and to use your imagination to glorify Him in the world. You do not have because you do not ask. It's time to ask. 

 Philippians 4:7    "Then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ". [As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.”]