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We are continually before God’s eyes. He knows every detail there is to know about us. There is nothing about your life and the things that you are enduring that He doesn’t know. He saw it before you even encountered it. He sees our troubles, and although there are times when we feel so weak and lowly that we might think that God has forsaken us; He has not. He says of His beloved people in Isaiah 49:16 (NIV), “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Lest you look right over the heart of God expressed in the vast beauty of this verse, consider the choice of God’s words. He didn’t say that He wrote us on the palm of His hands; He used the word ‘engraved’, an act of cutting, chiseling, or carving something on a surface to such a degree that it is permanently etched. This gives us a little bit of a lens from which to view the mindfulness and detail of our wonderful Heavenly Father.
God is a Spirit. We know this from John 4:24. He does not have physical hands. He is using a figure of speech in Isaiah 49:16 that conveys how watchful He is of us. Jesus Christ had not come to the earth when God delivered this word to His people through the prophet, Isaiah. People back then did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and were not children of God through the Spirit. We are! This is not to say that He loved them less; however, we are new creatures under a new and better covenant through Jesus Christ. We are God’s chosen children. If He held those in Old Testament times continually before His eyes, He would do no less for us.
What does this mean in terms of your believing? It means so much that it would be almost impossible to sum up in as few words as this teaching will allow. One of the reasons that God holds us so close is because He is looking and waiting for areas of our lives to open up to Him. Philippians 2:13 (NIV) tells us, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” God wants to work through you. You are the conduit whereby He will get a particular thing accomplished in the earth. So we can never forget that He holds the key. It will unlock the treasures we seek when we position ourselves to fulfill God’s good purpose by walking in the example of Jesus Christ.
Because of all the watered down doctrine and the unbelief that has crept into the psyche of the church, we are at a place where our brains cannot digest in one swoop all the revelation that is available and required to fully personify the example of Jesus Christ. We put it on and walk it out in small portions. This is why we see less than a hand full of individuals in our time, in the entire human race, that really shake the world with a Christ kind of love and power. Today, we see people who have great love, but hardly any power and compassion. Or, we see individuals that are doing great exploits, but lack a great love and compassion for people. It is very rare to see someone that truly gets it to the point where they believe totally in their identity in Christ.
Because of this, some of us have allowed ourselves to believe that we can’t be all that God says we can be through His beloved Son. This is a dangerous belief. It is one that decreases the fullness of life that we will experience, and it is a belief that will leave the door continually open for the enemy to steal from us.
We cannot rise above the level of our believing, and our believing was never meant to remain at a stagnant or static level. It should be increasing as we grow in the knowledge of Christ. Therefore, our spiritual ability should be rising as well.
You can’t just talk the talk; you’ve got to walk the walk. Most of us realize this. In other words, if you believe in your identity in Christ, there is going to be some fruit of it. Jesus Christ told us in Luke 6:44(NIV), “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.” The fact that you are reading this is a testament to the fruit you’ve bore. You are alive, seeking to grow in Christ, and you’re positioning yourself for increase. If you plan to continue thriving in life, the thing that you must realize is that increase and expansion is not an option for you; it is a requirement. Right now, you might be feeling pretty comfortable with things as they are, but life will not allow you to remain that way. Your believing and your spiritual ability must increase in order that you are prepared for what is to come. You are going to have to step outside of complacency.
Life is a changing, ever moving dynamic. This is the nature of it. Nothing in life remains the same. Our needs, conditions, and circumstances change as we progress forward. We are called upon through Christ to meet those changes with the spiritual equipment that God has provided.
The more we walk in Christ, the more power, love, and rewards we will experience. This is the way Heavenly Father designed the system to work. If we truly believe that we are joint-heirs with Christ, that we are more than conquerors and are able to do greater works because of his life, death, resurrection, and ascension; then there has to be some pretty impressive loving deeds to back up our beliefs. God is looking and waiting to see this kind of evidence in your walk. He’ll produce it, if you’ll cooperate.
God hasn’t provided this information to place us in condemnation about doing less. Quite the contrary. He wants us to stop thinking and behaving in such a limited way. He is calling upon us to rise up to the level of the mind of Christ. He wants us to expand our thinking and believing about what is possible in the realm of the Spirit. Heavenly Father, speaking through the Apostle Paul, said in Ephesians 1:17-19 (NIV), “17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
If you are at a place in your spiritual walk where you are wondering if there is more. The answer is that there is so much more that it’s absolutely mind-blowing. You and I haven’t even scratched the surface. There are spiritual levels and dimensions in Christ that will cause us to excel and take authority in every area of our existences. The absolute only way that we can begin to explore the next level is know more about Jesus Christ. This is a statement that you can in no way take lightly.
The life before you is the greatest instrument you own. If your believing is limited, you will not make the most of it. If your intention is to expand in every way, you need an out-of-the-box kind of believing, and this can only come from a greater revelation of Jesus Christ. Do not settle for mediocrity. Don’t become comfortable where you are. Stretch to seek a higher knowledge of God’s Word, even if it means you have to step outside your comfort zone—even if it means you have to go somewhere else, where the Holy Spirit is taught accurately.
You are engraved on the palms of God’s hands. He holds your entire being continually before Him. You have nothing to fear. If it is necessary for you to venture forth in order to grow spiritually and see the power of God move in you, then don’t let anyone deter you. If you are not being taught the power of the Holy Spirit where you are, make sure you do all that you can to learn it on your own. Don’t be afraid to believe AND go outside the box. Sometimes we need to in order to get a greater view of Him. ■
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
“Out of the Box Believing” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2016. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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