Hi all,
Did you know King David violated a whole section of Mosaic law at least twice, walking in a New Testament grace no one else ever did in the Old Testament? Why did God allow it, and what does it mean for you and I? 
 
We will look at each instance and then look at why David was allowed to break the Mosaic law without penalty of death, and from that we will know the Father's heart and how we can walk in a grace that has perhaps eluded us to this point.
 
He should have died
When David became King he wanted to restore the worship of God as prescribed in the laws of Moses. Those instructions given by God to Moses included an altar for sacrificing animals to the Lord which was a type of the cross. Then a laver which was a large basin of water so the priests could clean up, and which is a type of the washing away of the old by the Person of the Word in the born again experience. 
 
(Do not take the auditorium church stance that a person must be born again and get into the written Word, this example show us the born again experience includes the cross and being washed by the Person who is the Word. Too many Christians know the written Word but don't know the Person who is the Living Word and from whom the printed Word comes. The printed Word is secondary, flowing from our walk with the True Word. The application of this is rather than run first to the printed scripture for prayer or an answer, lay that aside and run to the Person of the Living Word for advice.) 
 
The altar of sacrifice and the wash basin (laver) were in front of the tabernacle/temple in full view of the people, representing the born again experience. The rest of the objects of worship were hidden from view as is the ongoing work of the Lord in our hearts and minds. They were kept out of view behind 2 veils. 
 
First veil
Behind the first veil was an oil lamp with multiple lamps (menorah) fueled by olive oil. The lamp is a type of the Holy Spirit and gifts lighting the inner space, followed by a table with bread which is a type of the ongoing growth and dependence a believer has on the Person who is Word of God (not the written Word, but the Person of the Word). 
 
For man does not live by bread alone, but by every word (rhema - a direct word to us) that proceeds out of the mouth of God, indicating it isn't the print, it's the Person we first seek. The 3rd article was a table of incense, which we are told in Revelation 5: 8 is the prayers of the saints. These 3 things are contained within the tent/temple, hidden from view. The Holy Spirit and His empowerment, the dependence on the Person of the Living Bread/Word, and prayers to the Father. 
 
But there is another veil, deeper within, separating the holy place from this area. The 'holy of holy' place contained the Ark of the Covenant which was a gold covered box topped with gold cherubs facing each other in worship. David knew God as 'the One who lives between the cherubs'. (II Samuel 6:2, I Chronicles 13: 6, also I Samuel 4:4). It is where His presence was manifest, and correlates to our spirit man. 
 
The priest would only go within that veil to see the Ark of the Covenant once a year on the Day of Atonement. (Hebrews 9: 25)
 
All these things are prescribed in the Law of Moses and the penalty is death for all those who would do otherwise. An example of this is when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, mistakenly setting it on an ox cart rather than being carried on priests' shoulders via poles through the rings on the sides of it. A man named Uzza reached out to steady the Ark on the ox cart and was immediately struck dead. (I Chronicles 13: 1-10)
 
David learned his lesson, studied up on the situation, and stated in I Chronicles 15: 2 &13 that only the Levitical priests were to move the Ark in the prescribed way. 
 
But then David did something worthy of death, and lived to tell the tale. 
Both I Chronicles 16: 1 and II Samuel 6: 17 record David simply pitched a tent, set the Ark of the Covenant in it, and danced before it as he made multiple sacrifices to the Lord. II Samuel 6 records more detail of that day, telling us while bringing the Ark they would walk 6 paces and then sacrifice, dance, shout, then walk another 6 paces, and repeat. Then he put the Ark in the tent and danced some more!
 
II Chronicles 6: 4 tells us once he was done he appointed Levites to oversee the Ark, including Asaph who was also a worship leader, and who wrote 12 of our Psalms (Psalms 50, and 73-83)
 
But why was David allowed to by-pass the altar of sacrifice, laver, veils, menorah, table of bread, altar of incense - and just worship before the open Ark of the Covenant? Why wasn't he struck dead? 
 
And that my friends, is for next week. I'll let you think that through...until then! Blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

Hi all,
The single biggest factor in my life causing me to live in the realm of miracles was the revelation of II Peter 1: 3-4:
 
"His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to (by) His own glory and goodness."
 
That verse says everything required for life (natural supply) and godliness (ability to grow in character in Christ) has already been provided for us. That means there is nothing I will encounter in this life that is not already provided for. It also means no matter the emotional, moral, or spiritual challenge I will ever encounter, growth in Christ has been provided. 
 
This revelation came at a time when we were living paycheck to paycheck; when we would tear apart the car looking for coins just to be able to treat the boys to something from McDonalds, when the electric bill deadline loomed before us with no money to pay it.
 
I so desperately wanted to change life from living miracle to miracle with a deep valley in between, to living in a realm of constant supply, where miraculous timing was a way of life. That verse sunk deep in me one day and I realized anything I would experience in life though it might catch me by surprise, could never catch Him by surprise. That meant there was provision He had already thought of and provided before the world began. I just had to get peace, stay in peace, do what I needed to do in the natural, and let Him work out the rest. 
 
The 2nd factor
Coupled with realizing everything I needed for life and living for God has been provided, was Hebrews 10: 32:
 
"Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings."
In the King James Version is says 'Call to remembrance the former days...' 
 
This verse is telling me to remember God's faithfulness in days gone by. Bring to mind the earlier days and how hard those days were, but how He always came through, how He always provided even if it was at the last minute. It was telling me to build up in my memories all the times I faced crisis, and the provision had come. 
 
These two verses changed my life, causing me to go from miracle to valley to miracle, to just living in the realm where miracles are every day. Where I see a divine timing to my steps everyday. This is an existence when the Father's timing is looked for, expected, anticipated with excitement to see how He will reveal His provision.
 
I still don't have a big bank account. I still have to look day to day for our living, for it is based on the good graces other people show the Lord then to us in appreciation of what I teach or write or share. But I am at peace, knowing the Father has such a long track record of coming through for us that it does no good to be in fear and worry. I just do what I need to do in the natural, go about my business, and He supplies - both in the natural and in godliness. 
 
Case in point
Money was tight and we needed to sell our last 5 cows. I had to rent a stock trailer to pull behind our pick up truck, but was able to get all 5 loaded. Chris has always been my 'helper' so I lifted him into the truck and decided he wouldn't be getting out, so did not put his wheelchair in the back of the truck, though it was about an 80 (129km) mile round trip. 
 
We got 10 miles (16km) into the 40 mile (64km) journey to the stock sale when the truck quit just as I accelerated from a stop light on the 4 lane highway. Coasting to a stop on the side of the highway, feeling panicked on the one hand that I had not brought Chris' wheelchair, had no other vehicle with a hitch to be able to pull a trailer load of cattle so was wondering what I was going to do, and not sure I had the money to fix whatever was wrong with the truck - panic, kicking myself, angry at myself and the whole situation - I calmed myself, gathered my thoughts, and said: 
 
"Father. II Peter 1: 3-4 says everything that pertains to life and godliness has been provided, so I need you to reveal your provision! Where is your provision Father!? Reveal your provision and I thank you for doing that!"
 
Just then a pick up truck heading the opposite direction, drove across the grass median between the lanes of traffic, did a U turn and stopped by us. A young man got out, asked if we needed help, and as I explained the situation he said, "I'll take you and your cows to the sale." 
 
With that we unhitched the trailer, pushed my truck out of the way, both of us carried Chris to his front seat, hooked the trailer to his truck, and he drove us the remaining 30 miles (48km) to the sale. We off-loaded the cows, had them weighed and I received a check for them, then he took us to a truck wash because as I explained to him, I had to return the trailer clean to the place I had rented it from - and 5 cows in a trailer are not 'potty trained' to that trailer. 
 
He allowed all that, brought us back to the truck where I was able to then call home and our middle son, Jason, was able to come and take Chris and I back home. The man refused any money for his good deed - He was used as the Father's provision, yet from the way he talked and his lack of interest in my faith that I shared, he didn't seem to be born again. 
 
What the angel said
I recalled an earlier experience years earlier with the Lord and 'my' angel when I had the opportunity to ask the angel; "Why does the Father use the unsaved so often to bless His children?" The angel looked at me with a shocked expression, as if should have known the answer: "That they not come empty handed before the King!"
 
Looking back, I realized again the Father's goodness, that even if a person never makes it to heaven, they will have often been used by the Father that they might have something good to their credit. And if they later come to the Lord, those good things they did before hand are recorded to their account - that they not come empty handed before the King. 
 
When you get to that crisis point...
When I get to that point of needing to see His provision, I do very much the same as I did that day: "Father, where is your provision? Your Word says all things that pertain to life and godliness have already been provided, so I thank you for revealing your provision!" 
 
The invitation of Isaiah 55 is to forsake our thoughts and ways, and return to His thoughts and ways. That is a life-long process of learning to do just that. Each circumstance that catches us by surprise requires us to stop at the decision point between falling back on the familiar ways and thoughts, or taking a step of faith to think like He does and do what He does - to live in the realm of miracles. His provision is there if we will seek Him in those situations. 
 
We do this in part by calling to remembrance His record of coming through in our lives, and remembering it has all been provided for us...whose ways will we follow, whose thoughts will we think? 
 
New subject next week, until then, blessings, 
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
 

Hi all,
Even as a teenager new in the Lord, I witnessed a Christian culture of living miracle to miracle rather than living in the realm of miracles. 
 
Many of my peers seemed unable to simply walk in communion with the Father; their spiritual life revolved around the last miracle He did and the next miracle they needed. In between, they were in a wilderness, a valley, living for the next miracle. They didn't know Him as much as they knew what He did for them. 
 
Come up to my ways and thoughts: Isaiah 55: 7-9
"Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him. And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts says the Lord, nor are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." 
 
Many a sermon and many a Bible teacher have used these words to beat the congregation into condemnation, proclaiming how God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and therefore beyond knowing. But look closer: It is actually an invitation to forsake, or leave, our ways and thoughts and return to Him and His ways and thoughts. It is an invitation to live in the realm of His ways and thoughts. It is not a statement proclaiming how high and unreachable He is. 
 
New Testament realities
The Isaiah 55 passage above highlights the difference between Old Testament thinking and New Testament thinking. If a person has a difficult time seeing the invitation to come up to the Lord's thoughts and ways in that passage, it is an indicator just how steeped their mind is in Old Testament thinking. We are to forsake our ways and thoughts and return to the Lord. That is actually NT thinking. Here is New Testament truth, so we must adjust our thinking to this:
 
Colossians 1: 26-27 says we have 'Christ in you'. 
I Corinthians 2: 10-16 tells us we have the mind of Christ, and the Holy Spirit searching the Father on our behalf.
II Corinthians 5: 17 tells us all old things are gone, and all things are new in Christ, for we are a new creation in Him.
Galatians 5: 17-25 tells us we can leave the works of the flesh and walk in the fruit of the spirit (Spirit) - which are His ways and thoughts. 
 
We don't have the mind of Jesus- Jesus the Man has His own mind. We have the mind of Christ. God. In us. Unlimited, able to share with us His wisdom and His will in any situation. 
 
Romans 10: 6-10 tells us New Testament thinking isn't that we need go up to heaven to see Jesus to bring Him down to our situation so He can give us 'a word'. Nor does New Testament thinking say we need to go down to hell or to see Jesus raised again from the dead in some glorious spiritual vision so we can start over. 
 
No, New Testament thinking says if you believe in your heart Jesus was raised from the dead, and confess Him as Lord with your mouth, you will be saved. Christ is now in you. Nothing more can be done. Nothing better could the Father do for you - He gave His Son, you now have Christ in you. That tops all. 
 
You have Christ in you - how can you improve on that? How can you add to what Jesus did for you? 
 
Can you add to that?
A key to walking in the realm of miracles is to know, really know so that it is deep in you, that you cannot do anything to enhance or improve upon Christ in you. Nor can you take away from the fact your spirit has already been recreated by the Holy Spirit, you are a citizen of heaven, child of the King, and you have Christ in you. 
 
Throughout Paul's letters he told people like he did in Colossians 2:16-23, that Christ is everything: 
 
"Therefore let no one judge you in respect to food, drink, sabbath days, feasts...and don't let anyone trick you concerning visions they say they've had causing them to worship angels or an experience they claim, having made them arrogant. They don't hold onto the Head of the body of Christ, from whom we gain spiritual nourishment and direction. So why do you follow men's teachings of 'touch not, taste not, handle not', which are all going to perish. These things are just the teachings of men."
 
What taking up the cross really means
In Matthew 16: 16-27 Peter makes the exclamation based on revelation from the Father: "You are the Christ. The Son of the Living God!" Verse 21 tells us (now that they knew Who He really was) Jesus began to share with them He had to be crucified and die, to which Peter vehemently objected.
 
Jesus said to His friend in v23: "You get behind me Satan! (In the Greek): "A stumbling block you are to me! For your thoughts are not the thoughts of God, but of men." 
 
The Greek word translated 'stumbling block' is 'skandalon' which was literally a noose or snare used to trap an animal. Jesus was saying Peter's thoughts were a snare, a trap, to get Him off the plan of the Father.
 
To that Jesus replied: "If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me..."
 
The 'deny himself and take up the cross' is therefore denying our thoughts and plans for our lives in favor of thinking God's thoughts and plans for our lives. That often hurts. That pattern of giving up our thoughts and plans in favor of His thoughts and plans, trickles down to things we'd like to say and think towards others, especially thought who hurt us or do us wrong. 
 
His thoughts seem more tortuous, to keep our mouths shut when accused, or to reply without similarly accusing though we have been accused - that's torture. But it is the daily crucifying of our thoughts of what we'd like to say to someone that is the denying of self Jesus is talking about here. Kill your thoughts and say a prayer for them instead. Bless them, do good to them - that kills the flesh - but it is His way. His thoughts. Come up to them. 
 
Living in the realm of miracles first means willing to give up our ways and thoughts in favor of taking His ways and thoughts - about a person, about a situation, about things we'd like to say or do to a person. His way is not a truce with old carnal ways of dealing with people, or even setting up a mental 'demilitarized zone' you don't cross in your mind; it is an annihilation of the old ways and thoughts of how we dealt with people in the past. By using crucifixion as an example rather than say, a swift beheading of the thought, Jesus understood the torture involved before those old ways and thoughts actually die. It is a gradual process, but a needed one if we want to walk in the realm of miracles...
 
Living in the realm of miracles next week, until then...blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
 

Hi all,
A miracle is defined as 'a surprising and welcome event that is not explainable by natural or scientific laws, and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.' To us, a miracle means God came through once again. But wouldn't it be nice to live in the realm of miracles rather than experiencing roller coast highs only to be followed by roller coaster lows? 
 
What if we lived from miracle to miracle in such rapid succession that it became a way of life for us? 
 
Authority, power
The Greek word for 'miracle' is 'dunamis', which means 'power'. It is where the word 'dynamite' comes from, and differs from 'authority' which is 'exousia'. We can explain the difference by saying a police officer functions in the authority of the law, and their gun is the power to enforce their authority. 
 
We have the authority (exousia) to use the the power (dunamis) of the name of Jesus. But unless the Father first moves by His Spirit in authority into a situation there will be no power given you when you use that Name. In other words, you can say 'in the name of Jesus' until you are blue in the face, but unless the Father has first moved in authority into that situation, nothing will happen. Both authority and power must be present. 
 
In Acts 19: 13-17 we are told of 7 Jewish non-believers tried to cast out a demon using the name of Jesus. The spirit answered them saying: "Jesus I know. And Paul I know. But who are you?" and the spirit in the man made him attack them and all 7 left the home bloodied and naked, the fight was so intense. They did not have the authority to use the name of Jesus, so they had no power. 
 
No anointing (manifest presence) of God for that
When I was at the death bed of a good friend, upon his last breath, his wife started yelling at him and shouting 'in the name of Jesus live!', to no avail. I told her: "_____, there is no anointing to raise him, we need to let him go."
 
She had the authority as a child of God to use the name, but the Holy Spirit who brings the power, was not with her in her desire to see her husband raised from the dead. In the Spirit it was just blank - nothing. No Presence at all for that. So the name of Jesus was powerless in that situation.
 
In Luke 5: 17 we are told as Jesus was teaching that; "...the power (dunamis) of the Lord was there to heal them." Power and the person of Jesus who could then command healing. 
 
Getting HIs mind on the matter
When I was in Mexico for a short term missions trip in Saltillo, we had 2 women come to the house one night asking if I would come the next morning to their village to pray for a little girl named Fedra, who was born deaf and unable to speak. I asked for a few moments to pray about it before I made a final decision - I was nervous about their expectations for a miracle. 
 
I sat on the other side of the room while the women spoke (in Spanish) to the missionary, and I quickly told the Father: "Father, I'm not going to lay hands on that girl unless you are going to heal her. The only way I'll agree is if you tell me you're going to heal her." Immediately He said, "I will heal her. Go with confidence." 
 
Then I continued: "But I've never done this before, what should I do?" But it was the Lord who spoke back: "Study the examples in the gospels where I healed the deaf, dumb,* or deaf and dumb*." And that was that, end of conversation. I got up and told the missionary I would go. That night I studied the very few examples of Jesus encountering deaf people, and/or people who couldn't talk (one was a blind man). In most cases a demon was involved and He cast it out. But in one it was a simple healing^ and he put his fingers in the man's ears and commanded them to be opened. (^Mark 7: 32-35, *9: 17-25, Matthew 9: 32-33, 12:22, Luke 11: 14)
 
I didn't have discernment to know if a demon was involved with Fedra, but I always followed the 'when in doubt, cast it out' guideline, lol, so I thought I'd cover every possibility. When we arrived, the girl's parents set her down in a chair, with they and their extended family stood behind and on either side of Fedra, about 10 in all. We were 11 from the US standing facing them. And one very scared 7 year old deaf girl staring at us all, who could not utter a voice. 
 
I asked the missionary to explain in Spanish to her parents what I was going to do. Then I stepped forward, put my fingers in her ears, took authority over a deaf and dumb spirit in the name of Jesus, and then commanded her to be healed in the name of Jesus - still not knowing if a demon was involved...and removed my fingers. At first Fedra continued to just stare at us, but an experienced nurse with us observed a change - her eyes hesitantly followed who was speaking. 
 
The nurse examined her and said she was sure she could hear, but thought she was scared, never having heard voices before. Her parents looked her in the eye and spoke to her gently: 'Fedra'. Suddenly like a thunder clap it all made sense to her - she leaped up and her family began talking to her and hugging her and great joy erupted in the home. She leaped into my arms and we walked outside, where just outside the doorway she immediately looked straight up into the overhanging tree, for she heard a bird chirping. Someone told her in Spanish "pajaro" (bird). Immediately she understood, and started pointing to the tree, then being told in Spanish what it was, then she would point to a flower, and so on, as she absorbed all this new knowledge like a dry sponge soaking in the rain.
 
She started talking what must have been a sort of garbled Spanish as she mimicked the sounds of words, trying to make her lips and tongue form words for the first time in her life. 
 
The village kids surrounded us and were grabbing at her, so I put her down in their midst as they hugged and were shouting with squeals of joy in a wonderful confused jumble of children. Suddenly one child behind her called out 'Fedra', and she immediately turned and pointed right at him. Then it became a game, with the children surrounding her, pressing in on her, taking turns calling her name as she spun around to point to whoever said her name. 
 
Then her gaze caught an old mini-van in the dusty circular courtyard of the village. She pushed the kids aside like someone trying to walk through tall grass pushing the brush to the side, and once clear ran to the van. I followed as did the others a bit behind the children, and she began pounding on the driver's side door with her open hand...she was saying something but it didn't make sense to me, but it became clear she wanted to door opened for her. .
 
So I did, and she climbed quickly into the driver's seat and started pounding forcefully on the horn. As it sounded that first time she jumped sky high, first startled and pausing fearing what she may have done, then giggling like a child on Christmas morning. 
 
We immediately understood: All her life she had seen cars drive into the square with the drivers pounding on what seemed to her to be just the steering wheel; seeing the reaction of people to that pounding, but not knowing why. Now she knew why! She honked the horn for a couple of minutes, jumping and squealing with each honk, until she had enough. Then she got out and led the gaggle of kids off somewhere else in the village, all following her with continued squeals and shouting. Her parents just stood by in tears taking it all in. That was a good day. 
 
All of that to say this: The Father had to be there for there to be power released when I spoke the name of Jesus. Otherwise, nothing would have happened. 
 
What we want to do therefore, is live in a realm of fellowship and communion with the Father, that given any situation, anything that surprises us, we can know His mind in those situations because we've already been walking with Him. THEN we can speak the Name and a miracle happens. 
 
And by miracle I'm not talking specifically about healings, that too, but also about provision for our lives, and answers to decisions we must make and need wisdom for, about situations and favor and blessing financially and favor with people - we need to know where He is going, and then we can speak that name above all names. Then a miracle happens. 
 
We want to live in the realm of miracles, not in a roller coaster existence of ups and downs, never knowing what He wants, where He will provide. More next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
 

Hi all
As we close out this study of the 'I AM' name of the Lord, or 'I will be what I will be', we need to realize how His exclamation to Moses set Israel apart from all other nations, and indeed, all other philosophies even to our day.
 
God invented hope
Before Abraham, God had not revealed Himself in such a way since the days of Noah, and wouldn't again until Moses. Abraham is the only person of the Old Testament called the friend of God. Think of that - not Adam, not Noah, not Moses or Elijah. Only Abraham is called the friend of God in the Old Testament. (II Chronicles 20: 7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2: 23)
 
Abraham lived among pagan religions whose greatest hope was that the gods wouldn't be angry with them. There was no escape; appeasing the gods by sacrifice was how mankind lived, without hope of breaking free into a state of blessing. 
 
When the Lord appeared to Abraham everything changed. Now a person could know the Lord, actually know Him. He and Abraham were friends, and God offered the promise of that friendship to Abraham's offspring as well. 
 
We could say then that God, and Israel, invented hope for the whole world. "I will be what I will be" by itself would mean nothing to mankind, for it is God's statement of self-existence. It would mean nothing to mankind unless He also extended an opportunity for man to enter into covenant with Him - to be one with Him: He in us, us in Him. And that's exactly what He did. 
 
The friend of God
When He became Abraham's friend, and when He appeared to Moses to expound upon that relationship with Abraham's descendants, that change everything. Hope was extended to mankind: You have a future in Me. The burdens and pain of this world will not last forever, in Me there is peace and a certain future. "I will be what I will be: Come along with Me!"
 
Israel was different from the pagan nations around them. Those people lived and died and as far as they knew, that was that. Maybe they would come back in a lower animal form, maybe man ceases to exist after death. Maybe it was like the Egyptians who believed the 'ka' (body in death) and 'ba' (personality/soul) just go to a kingdom of the dead. Up to the point of Abraham, nobody knew what lay beyond. 
 
And when God appeared to Moses and said "I will be what I will be" He was saying "I am what lies beyond death" and essentially, "I want to be in covenant with you, and you with me, that where I am you may be also". It gave mankind hope and certainty. The future according to God and those in Him, is bright, and He is already there in our future. He is the I AM. He is already there. God through Israel brought hope to the world. 
 
What is hope? 
The Bible definition of hope is 'a favorable and confident expectation'. That is different from the modern, often American and western use which suggests 'hang in there baby' like a kitten clinging to a tree branch by its claws - just hang in there, hope for the best, just a while longer! That's not Bible hope. Bible hope is 'a confidence expectation'. That's why "I will be what I will be" is a revelation of certainty, of hope, of an expectation of a known future. 
 
Hope is of the mind, the soul, the emotion and thoughts. Hebrews 6: 17-20 lays this out for us concerning Abraham: 
 
"God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us..." New Living Translation
 
Hope is the anchor for our souls - our emotions, thoughts, feelings, reasonings. An anchor is firmly planted unseen on the sea floor, and it allows the boat to swing with the path of least resistance to the storms. The boat of your life may swing this way and that with the storms coming against you, but that anchor is firmly attached, unseen, holding your soul steady. Hold fast to your hope.
 
Hope springs from revelation, in the context above, revelation from God who gave a promise to Abraham, then confirmed it by promising the same to him. From revelation comes hope, and from hope, faith is born. Faith is the evidence (witness in our spirit) of things hoped for (in our soul by revelation), the certainty of things for now unseen. 
 
Notice that hope though it is of the soul, goes 'within the veil'. Hope enters heaven to give us that certainty. That is your anchor, fixed in the hope of heaven where Jesus has already gone ahead for us.
 
We may not yet know heaven by experience, but we know it. We have that revelation, that certainty, inside us. That revelation fills our souls with hope, with joy, with peace, knowing our lasting citizenship is there and we are travelers passing through this dying world. 
 
God invented hope by revealing He is the I AM, the 'I will be what I will be', and saying, 'Come along with Me!' What grace! What peace! Our world needs hope now as much as ever, and you and I are stewards of that hope for them. New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com