Hi all,
I wanted to mention that we are now offering 'Visions and Dreams 2', which is part of a 3 part series. It's a very good study of spiritual dreams, visions, the types and the how and why - a valuable teaching!

The Lord's testing
Last week I mentioned John 6:5-6 where Jesus asked Philip upon seeing 5,000 men plus women and children before them: "Where are we going to buy enough bread to feed all these people?" The very next line says "This He said to test him, for He knew what He was going to do."

James 1:2, 13, 16-18 says, "Count it all joy when you fall into various tests, trials, and temptations...but let no one say when he is tempted, tested, or tried that God is doing it to him. For God is not tempted by evil and neither does He tempt, test, or try anyone with evil. Do not err my beloved brethren; Every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness nor changing of His character. Of His own will he birthed us with the Word of Truth, that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creation."

So the Lord doesn't test us with evil, but He does test us. He tests us with good. His testing would be better understood as 'proving', for He knows us and our potential and our destiny, so He places us in situations which provide us the opportunity to prove what is in our hearts.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:19; 'Wisdom is known by her children', which means a decision of wisdom is usually not openly obvious that it is wisdom, but that decision's "children", the results of the decision, will reveal that the decision made back then, was in fact the right one.

People who jump off spiritual cliffs with the rest of the crowd don't make wise decisions. They can't look down the time line of their lives to see that paying the price now to make the hard decision will yield dividends later. They have a hard time believing the Holy Spirit would be leading them to make a very difficult decision. They don't want the Spirit to lead them through painful transitions, but He does.

How are we going to get enough money?
If we examine what Jesus asked Philip we will see it was a perfectly normal, 'natural' question to ask. "Where are we going to buy enough bread to feed these people?" The question gave no hint to the supernatural provision that was a few moments away. Opportunities to move in the supernatural provision rarely present themselves as supernatural, and much of the kingdom works by 'according to your faith be it to you.' 

We cannot fault Philip for responding to a natural question with a natural answer. Yet the Lord was testing him to see how he would respond. Philip had no way of knowing Jesus would multiply a boy's lunch for he had never done that before. Jesus has never changed, He still asks questions of us to see what we will do. He still asks us to think about what could be, to think outside the box.

Chris was dying
After his first 24 years of living at home, our oldest and handicapped son, Chris, moved to a group home nearly 2 hours away. His little brothers had graduated high school and moved out of the house and got on with their lives, and Barb and I realized we needed to make a decision for the long term. It was the hardest decision we've ever made and we felt like the worst parents and people in the world.

Chris is mentally about 4 years old. He loves the Lord, but ever since he turned 4 he has remained 4. How do you tell a 4 year old he can't live at home anymore, and has to live 2 hours away, suddenly seeing mom and dad only once every 4-8 weeks (due to ministry travel and that 2 hour drive)?

For years he thought he had done something wrong. He would ask the staff to call home, and on the phone would start crying, sobbing through his tears "I'm sorry for what I did wrong, maybe you can let me come home, I'm sorry what I did wrong!" Because he is mentally retarded, it took 2 years just to get it through to him that he did nothing wrong, but as Jason and Brian had gone off to 'school' so did he now have to go to 'school', just like them.

The staff battled temper explosions, common to those suffering from brain injury, whether Cerebral Palsy (a term describing any brain injury incurred in labor or delivery) or from a later head wound - unexpected loud noises, changes to routine - anything could set him off on a destructive tirade. Then once the wrath was expressed, he would become meek and docile and apologize.

But by the summer of 2008 Chris had lost the will to live. At home with mom's good cooking he weighed about 175 pounds (79kg), but he refused to eat at the group home, dropping to 138 pounds (62kg). His lowest healthy weight was calculated to be 135 (61kg) and he was nearing that quickly. He then refused to get out of bed, refusing food, even using the bathroom in his bed, having totally lost the will to live.

The House Manager and nurse told me he was at the point they needed to discharge him to a nursing home to be allowed to die. I recoiled in horror, the seriousness of what was happening slapping me in the face like a cold washcloth, and was so thankful Barb wasn't there at that meeting.

Jump off the cliff or believe for a miracle?
There is a philosophy in ministry that says if a minister will tend to God's people and work, even neglecting of his own family, God will take care of everything. That thinking is why Preacher's Kids (PK's) have the reputation and hurt they do - dad was taking care of everyone else's family but his own.

This manifests by the minister dad taking a ministry call while the family is around the dinner table, even if his child is in the middle of telling her story about school. It means when the minister's child has a school play on Wednesday night, dad won't let someone else lead the service that night so he can see the play, he feels he has to be the one to do the service. A PK grows up realizing they are 2nd place behind God, and how can they compete with Him?

Barb and I have never held to that belief. We believe if we take care of our family first in God then it will all work together. So I refused (refuse even now) to take calls at the dinner table. If one of my son's had an event that I needed to be there for, I delegated out to others that I might attend. Even now when I am with Chris I won't take a ministry call. The same if Barb and I are having time together and so on.

The move
Chris was dying, but he lived 2 hours away. Immediately I began taking 2 days each week to drive up the turnpike to be with Chris. Sometimes Barb and I would both go, sometimes just me. I'd get Chris out of bed, give him a shower and shave, take him to McDonald's or for a drive - anything to get him out of bed and to try to get him to want to live once again. In fact, those weekly visits were what he lived for, and soon his emotional well being became dependent on me coming to see him.

Soon, we were spending as much as a mortgage on a house in time, fuel, tolls, meals just visiting him twice a week. I didn't have time off because those 2 days had to be like clock work. Would we jump off a cliff with the rest of the crowd - just let Chris die and say 'What we are doing in the Lord is more important than your life', or would we believe God for something totally outside our 'box'.

It was summer of 2008. The economy was imploding, loans were drying up as everyone waited to see what Congress would do. AIG, Lehman Brothers, various large banks were all going under - in the natural there was no solution.

We decided in spite of our core house churches in Tulsa, Chris would have to come first, meaning we'd move to be near him. Barb and I were 50 years old that year. We didn't want to rent an apartment as Chris needed a permanent home. We didn't want to rent a home which was paying someone else's mortgage, and we realized the small town where his group home was located wasn't exactly the jewel of Oklahoma's cities.

I concluded that we needed to be within a 30 minute drive of Chris, and if we had a home on a nearby lake, Grand Lake, that we could buy, it would be a home that could save his life. It would hold value against a down economy, and be ours. We would need a wheelchair ramp at the front door however, for his home visits, and we would need a flat and level yard as many lake properties were on bluff high above the water.

And what do you do for money?
After we had established our priorities, that we would not let Chris die so that we might continue in ministry unhindered, but that we would rearrange our lives to save his, and when we had worked through the rent/buy and where issue to conclude we would need to buy a place on the lake, THEN we went to the Father in prayer.

We were very much like Philip needing a miracle to feed the crowd. We had no cash, I tried a mortgage broker but at every turn was told they were waiting to see what Congress would do, so we were totally helpless. At that point I went back to the Father and said 'Father, we will need the owner to carry a note because no one is lending right now, at least not to us'.

This was all outside the box thinking. Normal thinking would have continued running up the turnpike weekly, every increasing the stress on us which meant other things that needed to get done weren't getting done, or normal preacher thinking would have let him die...that wasn't us.

AFTER putting all that to the Father, I suddenly felt a peace about it, and saw a mini-vision of Grand Lake, with an oval drawn around the north and west shore, like an invisible hand drawing an oval with a pen on a paper map. I knew that was the area the Father had provision.

So immediately I stuck the GPS to the windshield, and spent 2 days driving around the entire lake going to everywhere EXCEPT where I had seen the hand of the Lord draw that oval. I wanted to educate myself on what was available, what a reasonable price was, and so on. When He gave me that peace, He also gave me a price, $127,000, so I needed to see what that kind of place would be like. He had also given me a picture of it at the time as well - a small home surrounded by trees, white with black shutters, and a ramp going up to the front door.  

On the 3rd day I felt I had learned enough, and zeroed in on the area I had seen drawn. I entered a neighborhood of mostly double wide manufactured homes and other small homes, driving to the end of the road where I saw the house in the vision. Plus, there was a 'for sale by owner' sign in the front yard. The owner was a Baptist pastor and his wife who needed to be closer to their church on the other side of the lake. They carried the note and we moved in, and Chris immediately turned around, gaining weight, deciding 'Dad, I like this house'. And here we are today.

But it never would have happened unless we had understood that God does test us with good things - difficult decisions, decisions that require 'outside the box' thinking and believing, moved by principle and right priorities - the Holy Spirit leading as we indicated we would take a step toward the impossible.

Next week, more about the Lord's testing of us with good, other not so obvious ways He leads, and more!

Blessings
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org

Hi all,

Chickens & broken windows
My little brother and his friends weren't any more than 10 years old when it happened. They had been down at old Mrs. Smith's farm to gather eggs for her from her few remaining chickens. She was over 90 years old and frail, and my brother and his friends loved collecting eggs and doing little jobs around the small farm that she could no longer do. In return for their cleaning and such they got to keep all sorts of treasures like old bottles and worn out radios and other trash that any 10 year old boy would find valuable.

But one day after the eggs had been collected the boys started throwing rocks, aiming for windows in the old tool shed. Back when her husband was still alive the tool shed must have been a busy place; part workshop, part tool shed, part depository of all things needing repair. But now it was falling down on itself, so no real harm was done.

That was the story Steve gave our mom when she learned he had the most accurate throw that day: No harm done because it was falling down anyway, and everyone else was throwing rocks. Before scolding him and walking him down to Mrs. Smith herself to witness his apology and turn over his allowance to pay for the window, mom asked the question that every kid our age heard multiple times growing up: "If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?"

Back in the day
The 1970's saw a charismatic movement in the denominational churches that was all about Jesus and the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. Millions left the denominations to attend home meetings, often called 'prayer and praise' gatherings. Though many acted like the things of God were toys to be played with, getting out of balance on things like personal prophecy where some thought they were prophets because they could give a personal prophecy or word of wisdom, or if they had cast out demons they thought they had a 'deliverance ministry', it was a simpler time.

We didn't know the Word back then, and many spiritualized everything, blaming demons for all their problems. Francis Hunter told of this conversation one day: "A very distraught woman came to me for prayer because she had gained 10 pounds (4.5 kilos). I asked what she was doing, and she replied, 'I cast the calories out of all my deserts in Jesus' name, but I still gained 10 pounds. What am I doing wrong?'"

Ah the 70's! But the 70's gave way to the consumerism of the 1980's, which was marked by Yuppie's - 'Young urban professionals' or the more common 'Young upwardly-mobile professionals' referring to people in their 20's & 30's with conspicuous lifestyles of materialism. With pastel jackets for the men, big hair for the women, and TV shows like 'Miami Vice', technology was also booming in the form of video arcade games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Centipede. (Though personally, I'll take Galaga over all those)

Money was flowing and the yuppies were experiencing prosperity the World War II generation had provided, and conspicuous greed entered society. It was about to enter the body of Christ.

A conversation among pastors about 1984
Pastors and the church world in general couldn't keep pace with the prosperity. One pastor noted "We are losing our youth to video games" while another said "Our church still looks like it did in the 1950's, how will we attract new people looking like that?" Still another noted, "People have more things than they used to; they would rather be out on their boat or in their camper on weekends than in church."

They noted that church had become irrelevant and the subject of comedian's jokes as examples of being backward. Instead of church being a catalyst for changing society and culture, society and culture was changing the church. One pastor asked, "The world has the best, yet we are God's children, so why shouldn't we have the biggest and best to attract people?"

What happened next
While the Word of Faith movement started with balance, originally providing much needed grounding in areas like righteousness, the power of Jesus' name, God as our source, and the gifts of the Spirit, which was good for the overly zealous charismaniacs from the 1970's, disciples of the original 'faith teachers' started twisting scripture towards making money to match the prosperity of the world.

Twisting passages that don't have anything to do with money into being all about money, like the '100 fold return' of Mark 4, greed entered the body of Christ in an effort to keep up with the world. Churches started spending money on video and other games to draw in and entertain the youth so they could give them a 20 minute sermon.

For the adults it was new buildings everyone could be proud of, boasting such things as Italian marble in the entry, expensive sound and video equipment, cafe's in the lobby, and pastors thought they could 'make it big' if they could just broadcast their services on TV. Becoming a speaker at a convention was a career goal. 

Jumping off the cliff
In John 6:1-13 we have John's description of the feeding of the 5,000 men plus women and children. Jesus had gone over to the other side of the lake, yet thousands followed Him because of the healings He had done. But it was now late, out in the country, and time for the evening meal.

"Jesus said to Philip: 'How are we to buy bread, that these people may eat?' This He said to prove (test) him, for He well knew what He was about to do."

Jesus never changes. He is the same today. He still places decisions before us to see what we will do just as He did to Philip, while He knows what He wants to do in our lives. We must realize as the Lord oversees His body from heaven, He places us in positions where we have a choice to make; do we jump off the cliff with our friends, or make the hard decisions which will mature us in Him and lead us into His will for us?

Back from the edge of the cliff for John and Barb
When I worked for the PTL Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in our first year of marriage, 1978-79, we tithed from my meager pay to Jim and Tammy Bakker's church we attended - either $11 or $15 based on my $150 per week salary or the $111 take home pay. That $4 difference could mean a treat eating out or not, as Red Lobster had an 'all you can eat popcorn shrimp' special for $2.89 at the time - they did NOT like to see me coming because they lost money on that one! So if the need and appetite was such, we tithed $11, and if bills were current and we weren't going hungry, it was $15.

We believed the '100 fold return' teaching that was starting up at the time, so changed to giving $15, believing $1500 for each week was coming our way someday. Soon. But something didn't feel right. Barb said one day: "We used to give out of love for God and His people, but now we give out of greed, to get something in return. We need to repent and get our hearts right." We did - we had stepped back from the edge of the cliff.

I was on staff with a large church in a highly visible position, this happened about 1997 or '98. During the annual week-long series of meetings that summer the woman teaching proclaimed a special blessing for everyone who placed $100 at her feet on the platform. Under peer pressure by the Pastor and Associate Pastor who was among the first to do so, many of the upper staff at the church followed along dutifully.

I sadly confess here to you that I did as well. It is an action I'll regret all my days, and though I know the Lord has gotten over it, I could still kick myself for caving under church peer pressure. I glared at the pastor as I passed him on my way to the platform for not shutting that woman down right then and there, and it was all I could do not to yell out "charlatan" to the teacher and "Ichabod" (no glory, or glory has departed) to the pastor and crowd assembled. I was so ashamed of myself I kept right on walking out of the meeting, not wanting to have anything to do with any of them anymore. I had jumped off the cliff with the rest of them.

But I repented and climbed back up to the edge of the cliff. That was the last time I was near the edge.

The Holy Spirit and the cliff
So this series is about how Jesus through the Holy Spirit places decisions before us to see if we will jump off the cliff with others, or go the path He wants for us. It is about how to make right decisions in Him. We'll look at several passages in the gospels and other examples from life. Stay tuned, more next week!

Blessings,
John Fenn

Hi all,
Who wears the pants?
There were 2 women in our church who were best friends. When separate, they were gentle as lambs. Together, they were the Demonic Duo. Each 'wore the pants' in their marriages, and when they got involved in church things, they wanted to 'wear the pants' in church too.

In fact, that's just what the Lord told me one day during a visitation on a related subject. He used them as a teaching example on how demons get into churches. In this case, He explained that each woman had a demon that got in through hurts in their marriage: Both husbands had been unfaithful earlier in each marriage, and those hurts and issues between each respective spouse weren't dealt with fully and properly, thus opening the door. That demonic influence then established the women being the 'strong one' in their marriages through their hurt, and the guilt-held husbands became submissive and in the 'back seat'.

When the two demons of the same kind got together through the friendship of these ladies, their power was multiplied. He said each woman had been members of a church where the pastor had committed adultery, and the spirits influencing these 2 women drew a link through the adultery in their church to try to 'wear the pants' in any future church they'd be a part of, as it had done in their marriages. But because our marriage (Barb and I) was in proper order, those spirits were stopped in our church, and it made them angry.

He then told me they were going to do much harm to the people in our church, those spirits seeking to destroy it if they couldn't run it. But of the women He said this: They will speak lies and accusations against you (Barb and me) but pay them no heed, for their issue is with me, not you. I've been trying to get them to grow in Me for years, yet they have chosen at each turn to remain babies. I will deal with them."

Later, these two ladies approached me about being in charge of the women's ministry instead of Barb, but we said no. Then they wanted me to kick a couple off the worship team and replace them with themselves. I said no. They ended up taking the church directory and calling each person stating their case for being in charge of the women's ministry and on the worship team, splitting the church. Very shortly they started their own church, but some who went reported back to me that it had a wrong spirit about it, and they tried to flow in the gifts of the Spirit, but it was counterfeit and manipulation. Their 'church' soon folded.

10th church or fellowship
In our church at the same time was a couple who led our outreach to the migrant population. Being fluent in Spanish and gifted in guitar and song, they loved going to areas of migrant housing to sing, walk door to door asking if anyone was sick or needed prayer, and preaching. They loved the people and were very giving.

This couple was affected by these ladies when they called everyone in the Directory, making them waver between staying with us or leaving. In another visitation, part 2 of how demons get into churches, the Lord told me this about them: "Yours is the 10th church or fellowship they've attended over the years. Yet with each one they have found fault and a reason to be in strife, and rather than grow up in Me, they leave."

"My grace has come to an end with them and this is their last chance. If they choose to leave your church they will wander this valley the rest of their days never finding a place (church) for their foot to settle. And while they may continue in ministry on their own, they will know it is not being done in Me but in their flesh. And know this; Their problem is with Me, not with you, no matter their excuses, so be prepared."

Who are you wrestling with?
Who were these people really wrestling with? Jesus and His efforts to get them to grow up, that's Who.

When Jesus endured about 3 1/2 years of constant argument with the religious leaders of His day, they wrestled with Jesus and His Words. And though he loved his possessions, wasn't the core wrestling of the rich young ruler with Jesus and His Word of invitation to join Him? Are we any different today?

"So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ. (Ephesians 4:14-15)

When I was a fast growing teenager mom had a hard time keeping me in shoes. My wrestling wasn't with the too small shoes, but rather my big feet. (and how to handle my growth). The shoes are like demons - they aren't the issue. They didn't keep me from growing. The issue was me growing and out growing 'old things' as my body grew. Christ is growing within us, all we have to do is cooperate and make the often difficult decision to grow as a person in Him. Then the old things drop away, demons find no more place and leave, old habits are forgotten as New Life takes over.

Test or prove?
When Genesis 22:1 says 'The Lord God did test Abraham', it is means 'prove'. He commanded him to offer Isaac to prove what was in Abraham's heart. In a dramatic illustration of "What is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven", by covenant it was required that Abraham loose through sacrifice his son of promise from earth

that the Father might loose through sacrifice His Son of Promise from heaven, which Abraham understood.

And be not conformed to this world: But be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith: prove yourselves. II Corinthians 13:5

But let everyone prove his own life, and then he will have rejoicing in himself, and not in others. Galatians 6:4

When Abraham and Sarah were told by the Lord that they would have a son who would come from their own bodies, they each laughed in His face. They wrestled with God's promise to them, and in a humorous

response to their laughter, He commanded their son be named Laughter - which is what Isaac means.

Un-believe that lie
In all my years walking with the Lord I've noticed those who are continually focused on demons never grow up into maturity in Christ. You renew acquaintance with them after a year has gone by, and they are in the same spiritual rut, unchanged. Rather than looking into the Glory of Christ within them, they are always either looking outside to a demon behind every reason they can't grow, or over their shoulder at demons in their own or their family's past that in their mind, prevents them from growing in Christ.

By contrast, those who are consumed with this Life in Christ, living the reflected life, this amazing thing He has done living inside us, giving us the ability to do all things through Christ who strengthens us - have their lives changed because they are consumed by Him within - they are the ones who grow into maturity.

Today we have a conference
Today we seek formulas; in the Bible they sought God. Fall in love with the Father and Jesus more than you love the lie, and you'll soon, perhaps gradually even, un-believe the lie by getting to know Love. Spend the time and expend the effort needed to know the Father and our Lord as a lifestyle, not a project. Build a relationship with the Father from within, talk to Him at every occasion - ask 'What do you think of what they said Father?' and 'What do you think about that Father?' and 'Thanks for a beautiful morning Father' and 'Good morning Father, do you have anyone you want me to pray for?' and such - initiate the conversation.

I passed a threshold years ago in my battle with temptations. I didn't say I am perfect, I said I passed a threshold. For years I viewed temptation the standard 'Word of faith' way which goes like this: "Jesus quoted the Word against the devil, so that's all you need to do."

I wish it were that easy, but it does no good quoting the Word if hiding behind that Word is a flesh that still likes to sin.

I hated that grievance, that guilt, that sense of 'here I go again' after sin. One day I realized I loved the fellowship with Him more than I loved the sin. Out of my mouth came, 'Why should I sin and break this wonderful fellowship I have with the Father, and grieve my spirit?'

That was a turning point for me - I had looked into the mirror and saw what I could become. Truly the Mirror is the same, but our reflection changes from glory to glory as we continue therein, by the Spirit.

New series next week: The Holy Spirit. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org

Hi all,
Last week I shared how II Corinthians 3:18 said we see the glory of God inside us, as if looking into a mirror, seeing who we are in that glory. As we continue gazing we are changed into His image.

It is an adjustment to religion trained minds to see the Word speaking of us gazing into glory to see ourselves, for this means our wrestling is with Christ trying to grow us from the inside out. Holding out to us the image of what He has done for us that we might be changed into that image.

Religion teaches us to focus on our past or present sins and to try to overcome them, and only then will we grow. Wrong. We need to focus on what He has done and how we can walk in the Spirit and demons and sins and all those old things falls by the wayside as we grow in Christ from within and outward into our lives.

For instance, when someone in church hurts you and they know they hurt you, yet they show up each Sunday with a smile on their face and worship God like nothing happened, your adversary is not 'the spirit of unforgiveness' as some might teach; your adversary is forgiveness - God - that is Who you are wrestling.

"Oh Lord don't make me forgive them! They owe ME an apology!" Sound familiar? Your wrestling is with God, not the devil. 

When the Lord starts dealing with your cussing because you used to curse like the roughest sailor, and you find yourself wanting to react to stubbing your toe with a string of obscenities, your wrestling is with Christ in you who is dealing with your mouth, not your old nature. If these examples were not true you wouldn't find yourself saying 'Lord forgive me, I messed up again' - you instinctively recognize the struggle, the wrestling, is with Him.

Paul's prayers
Consider how carnal the Ephesians were. They burned so many occult books in Acts 19 the economy of the city was disrupted and a riot ensued. Ephesians 4 reads like the Saturday night police report: Thieves, fights, sexual perversion, liars, explosive anger.

Wouldn't a modern church prescribe the following conferences for them to attend: The 'Overcoming Generational Curses' conference. The 'Inner Healing' conference. The 'How to Overcome Habitual Sin' conference. The 'Freedom from Sexual Sin' conference, and so on. Wouldn't they be steered to the 'deliverance room'?

Yet how did Paul pray for them? Did he rebuke demons over them? Did he encourage them to look at their past and figure out how each sin got into their lives so they could renounce each one individually, and along the way offer to interpret each dream for spiritual significance? No!

What he prayed
"For I always pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation of insight into mysteries and secrets, in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him. By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints, His set-apart ones. And so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe..." 1:17-20

That is gazing into glory and seeing our reflection! But look at another prayer for these people in 3:14-19:

"...I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit, Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality.

May Christ through your faith actually dwell, settle down, abide, make His permanent home, in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love. That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints, God's devoted people, the experience of that love, what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it.

That you may really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience; that you may be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God, may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!" (Amplified Version, both) 

Paul knows their past, but his focus is on Christ who lives within and them knowing Him and the glory within!

I have prayed these prayers for myself, often weekly and often daily, for at least 25 years. Anyone who has heard me teach, live or recorded, knows I start with the prayer of Ephesians 1:17-18 on behalf of those who hear what I teach. I am consumed with the amazing grace and truth of Christ in me, and I want to look into that glory to see all that Paul prayed I would!

Aware of Who lives where
Jesus made the statement in John 8:44 that when the devil speaks he does so of his own, meaning he has no one to agree with him. It takes 2 to be in agreement, and the devil stands 'out there', all alone, whispering lies and innuendos and half truths, just waiting for someone to agree with him. Meanwhile, we have Christ in us and He is trying to get us to grow as per Paul's prayers above.

If a person agrees with the devil, that agreement opens a door into that person's life. It could be something as foundational as a parent saying in anger to their young child, 'You'll never amount to anything'. That is a lie, but if the child believes it, they come into agreement with the father of lies, and once in agreement, the lie becomes truth to them. Then they go through life believing they will never amount to anything.

Then they get born again, now Christ is in them, trying to grow in them. Will they agree with Him and continue to gaze into the mirror of their new Life within, or continue in the lie they've believed all their life?

Then Christian culture tells them just to read the Word, just to stand on the Word, go to this or that school or conference to get the Word, get great teaching of the Word - and they write volumes of notes having learned great things from wonderful Bible teachers, but are nothing bettered. Why?

The New Testament is talking about knowing the Living Word within, but we have lifted the instructions of the New Testament out of context because we have the benefit of the printing press to write out 'the Word'. So all these people are taught to know the written page rather than the Living Page inside them.

Can't hold to both
How can a Christian grow who looks into the mirror and sees Christ in them, while also holding onto the lie that has been truth to them their whole life? Answer; you can't grow that way. You'll be miserable, double minded as James 1 says, unstable and tossed like a wave going back and forth from one to the other.

A Christian must 'un-believe' the lie. This is wrestling with God. He wants you to un-believe the lie. The mirror within shows what we have inside and to what we may attain, a life of wholeness in Christ, changed into His image. We must be willing to let go of the lie we believed all our life, willing to call it a lie, and leave it in the dust by the roadside of our past life.

I came to Christ at age 16 holding onto many lies I had believed about myself, in large part due to my dad leaving our family when I was 11. Children tend to blame themselves for their parent's divorce, and our family was no different. Talk of 'Maybe we should run away' and 'It's our fault he left' were coupled with the rejection we felt when he moved out of his home and moved in with another woman and her two children, raising her two kids as his own. Why did he love them more than he loved us? What did we do wrong?

All these things I carried with me into Christ. With each Thursday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night 'prayer and praise' meeting, as we called it in the mid-1970's, I learned more about that Glory now living inside my spirit. That Life argued with me, wrestled with me about what I believed about myself.

Religion would have me focus on the 'spirit of rejection' and such, but in truth Christ was growing in me from glory to glory, His life quickly confronting and overcoming each lie I believed. Why did I get set free so quickly? Because I saw the truth I had believed in God's light, which showed my 'truth' to be a lie, and once exposed I wanted nothing to do with it. I dropped the now exposed lie like a hot potato and embraced what I saw in the mirror of God's glory and Christ inside my spirit, running as it were to the Father and our Lord.

As long as I stayed in a state of holding onto both lie and truth together I was miserable. But I became so consumed by Christ in me and all that meant, the momentum growing up in me in Christ became unstoppable. Part of that momentum was praying Paul's prayers above not as some religious exercise, but because I saw the truth in them and desired that with all my heart. So even today I pray these prayers for myself as they come to mind, when I feel 'low on revelation', or just to reaffirm my deepest desire to know Him!

I challenge you to pray Paul's prayers as printed above, as they come to mind, and see what the Father does for you - you'll be amazed at the revelation you are flooded with.

The Living Word or the written Word, and how do I un-believe the lie?

That is the subject for next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org