Things of the new covenant must be received by faith. There's no way we, as Christians, can ever hope to fulfill what the Word says about us and by any other means. We see in the Word who the Father says we are and that through Jesus we are righteous, justified, sinless, healed, whole, blessed, overcomers, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ and many other things.
In this carnal state and mind, we can't begin to accept all of the things we have become in Him. Only by faith can we hope to enter into these truths. Hebrews 11:1 says that, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. It is the evidence of things not seen." Our faith in the Word and the sacrifice of Jesus, is where all of the promise lies in waiting for us to receive.
The only evidence we have for our walk with God is our faith in His Word. None of us were present at the cross. None of us witnessed His resurrection and none of us watched Him ascend to the Father. Even those who did see Jesus on the cross, couldn't see the curse of the Law overtake His Spirit. They couldn't see Him become sin and they couldn't know that His stripes brought our healing.
Even those who were there didn't know what had happened. They had to find out by studying God's Word and praying in the Upper room. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the people in Acts 2:16, Peter stood and spoke from the Word of God saying, "But (instead) this is (the beginning of) what was spoken through the prophet Joel." This had to be received only by faith in God's Word concerning this promise. In 1Corinthians 15:6 (Amplified) we see, "Then later He showed Himself to more than five hundred brethren at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep (in death)."
These men who had seen Jesus, went about preaching what they had seen, but still only some of the would believe or put faith in what was told them. This precious gift of faith that has been given by grace, is the insight and divine reflection of Jesus Himself. The gift and the giver have become One. In Acts 20:32 (Amplified) the Apostle Paul, preparing to leave Ephesus and head to Jerusalem, made this statement to the people, "And now(brethren) I commit you to God (I deposit you in His charge entrusting you to His protection and care) And I commend you to the Words of His grace (to the commandments and counsels and promises of His unmerited favor) It is able to build you up and give you (your rightful) inheritance among all God's set apart ones (those consecrated, purified and transformer of soul)."
According to this scripture and the prayers of Paul, the Word of His grace and our faith in this Word, would build us up and give us (by faith) our rightful inheritance from God the Father. 2Corinthians 3:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Now the Lord is The Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, There is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom)." Verse 18 goes on, "And all of us, as with unveiled face (because we) continued to behold (in the Word of God) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very Own Image in ever increasing splendor, and from one degree of glory to another (for this comes) from the Lord (Who is) the Spirit."
Few of us in the Body of Christ have dared to put our faith in this scripture to be fulfilled here in this realm. Most would say that we can be like Jesus when we get to heaven. Because this scripture must be accepted by faith (there's no other way to do it), we need to begin changing now into His Image. The time for signs and wonders to be revealed through the Church has come unto the earth. Jesus needs to be seen by the world, through His Body, the Church.
Ephesians 3:10 (Amplified) says, "(The purpose is) that through the Church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all of its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere." God is waiting for a people who will , by faith, begin walking in this realm of the Spirit. God has always had a remnant of people who would dare to reach out farther. He could always raise up a Moses or a Gideon or a Joshua or a Caleb who would dare believe Him. Hebrews 4:2 (Amplified) says, "For indeed we have had the glad tidings (Gospel of God) proclaimed to us just as truly as they (the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them) but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with the leaning of the entire personality of God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness) by those who heard it. Neither were they united in faith with the ones (Joshua and Caleb) who heard (and did believe)."
The promise of victory, liberty, land, prosperity and all the blessings of God's promise awaited His people on the other side of the Jordan River. But, their fear of the giants was stronger than their faith in their God. Only those who "see Him as He is," high and lifted up and in all power and authority ever dare believe the whole of the promise.
Faith looks beyond our flesh and shortcomings. And, faith sees that Jesus overcame all of that. The devil wants us to see ourselves, but the Word tells us to "Look unto Jesus." We need to get us off our minds and allow the Mind of Christ to function is us.
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