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Today, my wife, older son and I went to go see his younger brother sing some Christmas carol’s at his preschool. He did well. After the show, we went to his classroom for refreshments. While we there, I saw some of his classmates. The parents were there also. One man looked like me a little. His daughter was in my son’s class. My son is five so I assume she was around five years old also.

Well, for some reason I caught her attention. My guess is I looked like her father. Something beautiful happened though. I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matt. 18:3, “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The Lord did not say to actually become little children, but like them.

When this little girl looked at me I perceived the Lord tell me, “This is mercy.” The Hebrew word for mercy means “to delicately teach or bring up.”

She did not try to show me mercy. She was not fearful. She saw my heart though. Kids seem to have that ability. I have heard another definition of mercy being “God not giving us what we deserve” which is judgment for sin. God has shown us mercy by sending His only Son, Eph. 2:4-5.

To me, “being like little children”, is possessing their innocence and purity of heart. This happens only by revelation of Christ. We cannot try to be, but can only be by revelation of truth, Him. This reminds me of Matt. 10:16.

Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”

We receive power because we believe, Rom. 1:16. We believe because we hear and hear the unveiled word of God. As we grow in our faith, we grow in His power in us. This power in us is a witness. This witness is like the little girl looking at me. She did not try to show me mercy. When Christ reveals Himself He does not “try” to unveil Himself.

As we grow in our identity in Him, we are unveiled to the world. This unveiling, by God’s will and grace, has a supernatural effect on the recipients, Rom. 2:4.

By His power, we are witnesses. In this witness, reconciliation to the Father by Christ is manifest.

Christ, in His fullness, shows His mercy to us. Since we do not have a Spirit of fear, but power and love, we show mercy because of His fullness in us to others.

I am amazed how a little five year old could have such an affect on me.

Matthew 27:18, “For he (Pilate) knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.”

Mark 15:10, “For he (Pilate) knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.”

Gen. 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable (or coveted) to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

I was reading in the gospels the other day and ran across these scriptures. They remind me of Adam and his wife in the garden of Eden.

“Envy describes pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of excellence or happiness. It means not just wanting what another person has, but also resenting that person for having it. It is an attitude of ill-will that leads to division and strife and even murder. When we envy, we cannot bear to see the prosperity of others, because we ourselves feel continually wretched.”^₁

In my opinion, this sounds like the root of socialism, but that could be a completely different blog.

Here is the root meaning of envy in the Hebrew:

“The parent birds go about gathering materials to build a nest where they will raise their eggs. The parent bird will guard over and protect the nest and eggs from predators. Man can guard over the family, wife, possessions in a positive way (protect, from the enemy) or in a negative way (by not trusting or a desire to have another’s possessions.)“²

Given the Hebrew definition, it seems we have a natural desire to protect and or nurture. This natural desire in us is changed and corrupted by fear and ignorance of truth into envy. The deception of envy is to say, “you are in lack” which is contrary to John 10:10, “To experience His life and experience it more abundantly or to overflowing.”

“Jealousy and envy are close in meaning, but nevertheless are expressive of distinct attitudes, for jealousy makes us fear to lose what we possess, while envy creates sorrow that others have what we do not have. In other words, we are jealous of our own possessions, but we are envious of another man’s possessions. Jealousy fears to lose what it has, while envy is pained at seeing another have it!“^₃

The deception of envy is someone else has it better than you. This is what the enemy told Eve in the garden.

1 Tim. 2:14 says, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

So, Adam chose to miss the mark and the woman was deceived.

Now, Titus 2:12 says grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness. This grace is imparted by revelation of Christ, who is the Last Adamic pattern or tupos. We say no to ungodliness by this revelation because we are utterly convinced of truth. We say no because we sincerely want to say no and not because it appears right or seems like the right thing to do. We say no because it is His life in us that manifests His will in ours and ours in His. 2 Cor. 3:17 says in the Spirit we have liberty. This is freedom from sin and not to act out or practice sin. This is so because the liberty exists through truth. In truth, I do not want to sin. This truth has apprehended me and changed me in every way I could conceive or not able to conceive. It is constantly changing me into His image from faith to faith according to His word. He is the truth. His truth creates His righteous nature again in me by grace.

In this revelation of Him envy is not empowered because He is not in lack in me.

Love does not envy, 1 Cor. 13:4.

1 Cor. 14:33, “For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

What is this a picture of?

Is it and old lady, young lady, or man with a hat and mustache?

Honestly, it is all three. So, what is my point?

One more picture.

What is this a picture of? A camel? Dog? Cat? My long distant relative?

Eph. 4:21 says, “The truth is in Jesus.” Jesus has ripped the veil in two. The truth is now unveiled in Christ. It is no longer hidden or cryptic.

Romans 16:25 says, “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,”

The keyword is was. There are no more secrets only truth in Christ. No more cryptic dreams or visions. Typically, visions and or dreams under the New Covenant are more confirmation than cryptic.

Paul said to avoid wives’s tales and myths, 1 Tim. 4:7.

Truth creates unanimity and peace.

In the first picture, three people could see three different things. This would cause strife and division in the Church. That is not God-inspired. It is not truth or revelation based on the word.

What about Daniel 5:25 and similar instances? What covenant did they happen under? What about the apostle John and Revelation? Was John a Hebrew or Gentile? Biblical scholars also say John could have been a Levite Priest at one time in his life. Why does that matter? Well, both Daniel and John were Jewish. A Jewish inspired person will interpret things different than a Gentile. I am not saying ignore Daniel and Revelation. What I am saying is Eph. 4:21, the TRUTH is in Jesus. It is not hard to figure out. Truth is truth. The second picture is a frog. Although this brings up a good point.

Let’s say I am 2-3 years old and I see a frog. Do I know it is a frog? Not really, but later in my experience I know it is a frog. Heb. 5:14, Eph. 4:14, 2 Pet. 3:18.

Growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ reveals the truth.

I was thinking yesterday, “Why do people want revenge or payback?” The Lord answered, “Because they have not forgiven the one(s) who offended them. They are trying to fill the need with revenge.” There is a tendency towards revenge if the we are not aware of the Lord’s forgiveness towards us.

Matthew 5:40 (NIV), “And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”

If unforgiveness or bitterness is in my heart how in the world could I give someone my tunic or coat? I believe what Jesus was alluding to was that we are not able to forgive in our self-strength, but there will come a time (post-resurrection) when we will have a revelation of forgiveness and its power.

People must have thought He was crazy when He said these things. People still do. Even Christians.

If God’s nature was not righteous or love He would not have sent His beloved Son to die for us. God could have turned us into popcorn because of the things we did, but who is He that condemns, Rom. 8:34 (NIV) ? The only One that could have condemned us was God, but what was His will? What did He do?

He became a man. He became a curse for all sin ever in the universe, died for all sin, resurrected to be our life, and is now glorified in heaven at the right hand of the Father. We will be glorified as well because of Him. He gave His life for us. The Aramaic says He gave his soul in our stead.

His nature is to forgive because He is not in lack. All fullness dwells in Him. He throws our iniquities in to the “sea of forgetfulness”, Mic. 7:19.

How can I remember something or give it attention if it is in oblivion? If that is where my sin is then why is my brother holding something against me?

Jesus forgives. He changes the motive of our hearts by revelation and grace. He changes our personality, 2 Cor. 5:17. Rom. 12:19.

There is a huge contrast between falling from grace versus law/legalism. You want to fall from the law, Gal. 3:25.

Gal. 5:4, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”

The word fallen in the Greek means to fall like:

• Flowers withering in the course of nature
• A ship out of control

The word literally means “to fall out of.”

In the two examples above, the flower is “falling” because it is withering. It is dying. No life it is left in it. So, it withers and falls.

The ship example reminds me of Paul metaphorically speaking of a ship being tossed to and fro in Eph. 4:14. The captain of our hearts, Jesus, Heb 2:10 (KJV), is the captain of the ship of our lives. If I am not under His grace my life will be tossed back and forth away from stability and peace.

In a previous blog, There is no exit here, I mentioned at one point in my life I would rebel against God, but was really rebelling against a dead religion.

If I fall from grace then I am not falling from religion I am falling from grace back into dead religion, self-imposed law or legalism.

In the past, when I rebelled, I actually felt free from something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it because I loved God and knew He loved me, but in my perception of truth I thought I was in the wrong. Yes, I was doing things I did not need to be doing, but in an odd way I was free from something.

I know now what was happening. This was the course of events. I would go to church, fast, pray, read the word, participate in some ministry, and so on. I was a young believer and still had areas in my soul and heart that were not dealt with. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit was what I needed, but was not getting it even though I was at church? Periodically, the old nature and enemy would manifest these unhealthy areas again in my life, but why? I was doing the things I thought were the right things to do. Exactly… Read Gal. 3:12 (NIV).

My walk was not based on revelation and grace, but my own doing. I say sometimes I was tap dancing for God. As I walked under the law, which will always judge you by the way, I grew so spiritually tired, bored, unfulfilled, and confused. I knew this was not what Jesus died for me to have. I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding.” I always knew there was more and there is.

So, I’d get tired. Vain thoughts would come my way. Old thinking patterns came. Also, under the law, old thinking is empowered. Law empowers sin, 1 Cor. 15:55-56, Rom. 7:11. The old thinking according to the fallen nature is death, Rom. 8:6. Then I would begin to believe these accusatory thoughts. I would agree with these thoughts on the basis of self-imposed law, but knew Christ was my savior. This doesn’t harmonize. How could I be a sinner, but a new creation in Christ? Gal. 2:18 (NLT) says, “Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down.” The old is supposed to be gone, 2 Cor. 5:17, but the ‘old’ was right in my face!

Paul says in Gal. 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

I believe I rebelled out of law into grace, but used grace as an occasion to the flesh. I believe millions of Christians do this today and are frustrated just like I was.

So, what happened? Gal. 1:16. God revealed and unveiled His Son in me! Jesus was born under the law, Gal. 4:4, but knew no sin, 2 Cor. 5:21. This same Jesus lives in me “who knew no sin.” What I know is His sacrifice for me which makes me righteous and injudicable.

Now, I just am. I don’t try to do. I just am. According to Gal. 5:5, the hope and great expectation of righteousness dwells in me. My desire now is to fall from the law everyday. Now, revelation is daily, healing happens, divine appointments are almost routine, gifts of the Spirit occur, I perceive His presence much stronger, and most of all He reveals Himself. This is what He died for. This is what I desired. To know my Creator and to know who I am and my purpose.

1 Thess. 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Other scriptures regarding sanctification: 1 Cor. 6:11, Eph. 5:26, 1 Tim. 4:5, Heb. 10:10

I saw today that if my soul is sanctified in Christ by Him, the Holy Spirit and the unveiled word, then things that can potentially affect my soul such as being offended, disappointment, regret, and so on should not matter or have the same value anymore like they use to because of hope and love by faith through grace. Now, if these things do occur my recovery time or healing is supernaturally much quicker due to the wholeness in my soul. Even Paul’s persecutions were only a “thorn” in his flesh.

In the past, if my soul attached to an offense or disappointment the thing it attached to grew and the situation became cancerous. Heb. 6:19 says, “Hope is an anchor for the soul.” It says the soul not the spirit. Rom. 5:2, 5 talks about standing in His grace rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God and that we are not disappointed or ashamed because His love is shed abroad in our hearts.

My soul is sanctified or made whole by revelation of Christ, to Him. He is the hope of glory, Col. 1:27.

In Him, my soul is becoming truth and light. Darkness cannot overcome or comprehend light, John 1:5. This is why Jesus resurrected. Death could not comprehend or overcome the Light, John 1:7, Matt. 17:2. Jesus could never stay dead. He was the lamb slain before everything even was, Rev. 13:8.

When light is turned on in a dark room darkness flees. It has to. This light is now in our hearts! 2 Cor. 4:6.

Heb. 12:1-2

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The word “weight” means:

1. whatever is prominent, protuberance, bulk, mass
   • hence a burden, weight, encumbrance

What would be considered weight? I get the impression It is something that was not intended to be there at all. A protuberance on a car tire indicates a faulty tire. A protuberance or tumor in the brain or heart is not good. In either case, the tire or human body is not fully functioning according to the purpose of its Designer.

In verse 1, “running the course of the race with endurance” is not a totally accurate translation of the word ‘endurance.’ “Running the course of the race abiding under” is a more accurate translation. So, abiding under what? Under grace. Abiding in a constant expectation of the hope of righteousness in us, Gal. 5:5. Abiding under grace would remove the unnatural bulk, mass, or burden enabling more endurance. This increase in endurance is to overflowing. It is inexhaustible because it is His endurance and grace.

Also in verse 1, sin “easily” or skilfully surrounds and besets someone if they are under the law because the law empowers sin, 1 Cor. 15:55-56, Rom. 7:11. If you are not under the law, but under a New Covenant, with the Most High Priest, under grace, then the judgment, penalty, and guilt of the law is not reckoned, accounted for,  or  charged to one’s account ever in Christ.

These verses remind me of Usain Bolt, current world record holder in the 100m and 200m, or any athlete, with their eyes set on the goal. The athlete will remove any protuberance from their training regimen and keep their focus. I see the athlete or sprinter being ensnared by a rope net and breaking out of it running with heavy iron shackles that fall off as well. Then he finds his pace and runs, but is not weary, Isa. 40:31.

He is not weary because he is not under judgment, but made righteous by Christ. His is not weary because he does not have to prove anything, but runs with purpose effortlessly with all confidence and assurance.

This blog builds on Found.

Romans 6:4 speaks of “newness” of life not renewed, but newness. It is different. It is newness that was not there before knowing Him. The life is His life in us. 2 Cor. 3:6 speaks of the Spirit giving life. Once again, it is His life that is given by grace in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Gal. 2:20 says it is His life that we live not ours. The impartation, commingling, diffusion, and union of His life in us is not based on walking a tight rope of religion or pseudo-spirituality. Col. 2:18, 23 talks about ‘false humility.’

I remember the “pastor” at a church I used to go to a while back. He’d say, “I want to grow in my relationship with the Lord to a point where I can’t find my way out.” What an awesome statement! Who doesn’t right?

Christ has no beginning and no end. There is no exit. And that is an anchor of hope for our souls.

I used to think there was an exit and there was, but it may not be what you think. The exit was an exit from the law, obeying a list of do’s and don’ts, from dead religion, from anything I thought I could do to be spiritual apart from graced works. I thought I was rebelling against God, but I wasn’t. I was rebelling against hard religion in my heart that I could never fulfill and was never intended to. My conscience was constantly witnessing my failure to “keep the law.” Keeping the law put me under a curse.

On the cross, the Aramaic bible says Jesus said, “Shelem” and not “It is finished.” In the Aramaic or Hebrew mind this variant of shalom which is where we get the word “peace” from in the bible. It means “whole, complete, without any lack, all in all.” Jesus did not just say “Shelem” for my salvation which is so much more than not going to Sheol (the N.T. refers to Sheol as Hell.) He said “Shelem” to save my soul. Make it whole, complete, without any lack. He said “Shelem” to my body. He said “Shelem” to everything I come in contact with by His glory and power. He said “Shelem” to every molecule and atom on earth, our solar system, our galaxy, and the universe.

In this “Shelem”, I am found. I am becoming and am who I really am. His truth is becoming me. If I am growing into who I really am in Him, then there is no exit. I cannot deny who I am because it is who I am. There is no exit from my true nature. I cannot deny or disown me if it is real. Why would I? It wouldn’t make sense. 2 Tim. 2:13

Phil. 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

I am found in Him because that is where my life is hidden. This life is who I really am, 1 Cor. 15:10. It is my true nature which is based on the revelation of Him, His righteousness, faith and grace.

Col. 3:3, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Something that is hidden can either stay hidden or be found, Gal. 1:15-16, 3:23, Eph. 1:4, Matt. 5:15 (NIV).

I am found by grace through Christ revealing Himself in me by His faith. If I am found in Him, this desire to seek elsewhere for my identity is null and cannot compare. Is this what Paul says in Phil. 3:7-8 ?

As I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, I grow in His righteousness which is not by the law or anything I could ever perform or do. In this process, I am found. I am divinely and supernaturally identified. The assurance of being found in Him is constantly reinforced by compounding, inexhaustible, fresh, new, real, daily revelation of Him which roots me deeper in Him and reinforces His nature, His righteousness nature, which is who I really am in Him by grace.

Matthew 18:19-20 says, “”Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

The Greek word for ‘agree’ is symphoneo. It is akin to symphony. The definition is: lit., “to sound together” (sun, “together,” phone, “a sound”), i.e., “to be in accord, primarily of musical instruments,” is used in the NT of the “agreement.”

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Greek word for ‘confess’ is homologeo and it means lit., “to speak the same thing” (homos, “same,” lego, “to speak”), “to assent, accord, agree with.”

Ephesians 4:3-6 speaks of a unanimity in the Spirit by grace in the Church locally and universally. This unanimity is rooted in grace, love, holiness, righteousness and truth.

When revelation manifests truth is imparted. This impartation of truth could also be homologeo or an acknowledgment of truth. This acknowledgment of truth becomes and apprehends the recipient because that is the nature of truth. When truth is imparted in two or three that are gathered by this homologeo of truth symphoneo occurs and eventually unanimity in the bond of peace.

In this symphoneo or symphony of agreement, in Matt. 18:20, Christ (Col. 1:19, 2:9), in His fullness, is there!

Healing is there, resurrection from the dead is there. Truly, all of God’s power is there. John 3:34 (NLT) says, “For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit.”

This is the power to them who believe and the power that continually transforms us into His image over and over again. Eph. 1:19, Rom. 1:16.

No one else can offer this power. It is Him and His nature. He is love.