Today I was asking God to reveal to me why I was unable to walk in faith and believe that there is only one power (God) which is good—and respond to appearances with righteous judgment rather than the thoughts of criticism, judgment and condemnation that I had experienced over the weekend.
After listening for a very long time, I finally heard the still small voice inside once again reminding me that my human thought-taking mind is incapable of anything other than the works of the flesh
since it is flesh
and does what is its nature to do (see Flesh). If I lose sight of this, I not only criticize, judge and condemn others; I also condemn myself for my condemnation of others. And soon I am without hope
—because I am looking to my humanity for my solution rather than to my true identity, which is the Christ, the son of the living God.
This Christ revealed to me that, like Paul, I am never to forget that my humanity is dead
:
2Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Romans 6:6-11 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sadly, this humanity is always attempting to resurrect itself. That’s why Paul said he had to die daily
1Corinthians 15:31. He constantly renewed his mind
Romans 12:2 to the fact that
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
We have thought that this Son of God
referred to Jesus, the man who walked the earth two thousand years ago. But it has to refer to the son of God that I am in my true identity, the Christ who appeared in Jesus and gave himself for me
by taking up His abode within me John 14:23.
For Jesus, on multiple occasions, when talking to another, would say THY FAITH.
Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; THY FAITH hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Matthew 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is THY FAITH: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Mark 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; THY FAITH hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Luke 7:44-47 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, THY FAITH hath saved thee; go in peace.
This is consistent with
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord THY God IN THE MIDST OF THEE is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
What we must see here is that although it is the same Christ which has taken up His abode in each of us, we will never experience the faith that is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
Hebrews 11:1, the faith that brings the invisible into the realm of the visible, so long as we are looking for that faith outside ourselves—not even in the man Jesus. That faith Jesus was referring to when He said thy faith
resides in the Christ of every man, and that Christ must be recognized and accepted as my true identity before I can experience the coming into visibility of the things I hope for.
It is the MY God in the midst of ME who is mighty and will save, not God out there
or God in the midst of someone else I think is more spiritual than I.
Of course it is safe to say that the people Jesus was addressing were not aware of their true identity since Paul tells us that Christ in you
is
Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Indeed, this is precisely what God in the form of Jesus came to this earth to reveal to mankind. People whom Jesus was able to heal were the ones who touched His God consciousness to the extent that the Christ residing in each of them individually could release the faith of the son of God
(THY faith
) that they were in their true identity. We know that there were many who did not touch that consciousness and therefore did not experience what humanity calls miracles
but which is the norm in the kingdom of heaven—which is in everyone, if they are just aware of it.
Matthew 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Those who received the revelation of Christ in you
did not merely touch
the God-consciousness of another; they became aware of the Christ as their true identity and were able to do the works that Jesus did:
Acts 19:12 So that from his [Paul’s] body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Acts 5:15-16 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
We see people touching the God-consciousness of Paul and Peter to the extent that they too could receive healing from them just as people did from Jesus. The same is true for us today. We can touch the God-consciousness of another or we can have that God-consciousness ourselves. We can always be looking outside ourselves to get our needs and desires met, or we can know that they are already met exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKETH IN US
Ephesians 3:20—not according to the power working outside ourselves or in another.
Though that power be the same Christ that worked in Jesus, Peter and Paul, I must be consciously aware of its residing and working in me and live by the faith of that Christ (not by my human faith) if I am ever to enter that rest
prepared for me. Then I will know that my prayers are answered even before I ask and that the Christ in me believes when I pray, thereby guaranteeing that I will receive what I pray for.
Mark 11:23-24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.