HEROIC FAITH PART I: THE LAW OF SEEING
(This is Part I of a three part series. Much of the materials in this sermon was adapted from my new book “Dynamics of Heroic Faith: How To Gain Mastery and Dominion Over Circumstances”)
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There are four things I want you to understand about spiritual laws or principles:
i. they work whether you know it or not.
ii. they work regardless of age, gender, race or class
iii. they are unchangeable and can only be superseded by a higher law
iv. they usually don’t make sense to the natural mind
We discussed one such principle – the law of sowing and reaping. Today I want to begin a 3 part series on the three principles that God used to help Abram and Sarai stay in faith after that incredible divine promise of an heir. To the natural mind this was an impossibility. Abram was nearly 100 years old and Sarai 90. Besides, Sarai, had been barren all her life, her womb biologically incapable of bearing children.
But these are exactly the kind of odds God likes – everything stacked up against you and you are down to nothing. Look at how Jesus waited until Lazarus had died! Look at the picture of the Israelites before the Red Sea with the Egyptians closing in behind them! Look at how the Father turns the tables on the devil after the Son has been dead three days! Now compare that to your situation!
But God knows Abram’s frame as well as the frailty of his mind. He knows the devil is going to fight him mentally and pyschologically, so as to render the promise void. So God uses three principles to help Abram stay in the faith fight: the law of seeing, the law of hearing and the law of speaking.
The first thing God tells Abram is: “Lift up your eyes from the place where you are” and look north, south, east and west (Gen 13:14-15). Abram is also told to look at the sky “and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them” (Gen 15:5). Lastly he is told that his seed will not just be as numerous as the stars, but also as many “as the sand which is upon the seashore” (Gen 22:17).
What is Yahweh doing? He is working with the man’s mind. The promise has already been released in the spirit world – “forever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven” (Ps.119:89). But it is one thing for the Word to be settled in heaven. It’s quite another to have the promise settled down here on earth, in our hearts and minds. The enemy of all righteousness will seek to unsettle it by attacking your mind with all manner of lies and doubts. This is why God decided to get involved in Abram’s battle of the mind.
To paraphrase, God says to Abram: “What you see is what you get.” This is the law of seeing. If you can see it you can conceive it, and if you can conceive it you will bring it forth. The four directions, the stars and the sand were all to be reminders/pictures/ images linking Abram to the divine promise. Everywhere Abram looked he saw kids, and more kids! Each tiny little star and each grain of sand transformed itself into a little smiling baby in his mind and Abram had a great time talking to billions of his descendants long before they became physical fact!
Folk, this is the stuff of faith. Being able to see things that the eye has not seen, hear things that the ear has not heard, taste things that the tongue has not tasted, smell things that the nose does not smell and handle things that the hand has yet to touch.
You must have a clear picture of the promise in your own mind. Nothing hazy or wishy-washy. This is why Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want?” Or the man by the Pool of Bethesda: “Wilt thou be made whole?” God gave us the tool of the imagination for a purpose. We must use it for good and not evil. It will work either way. Use it to visualize the promises, for “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all that we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20).
So, what do you see today? I didn’t say: what are you looking at! Two men looking out of a prison cell will not necessarily see the same thing. While one sees ugly dirt, the other sees a beautiful landscape. As you look at your spouse, kids, church, home, business, what do you see? Someone says, “I don’t see any way out, I don’t see how he can change, I don’t see how it can be done.” Well, so shall your descendants be! Stop seeing the negative and start seeing the divine possibilities, in Jesus Name! Amen.
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You can visit the ministry at: www.davechikosi.org
God bless you!
