It’s a Choice

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. —Hebrews 11:13

Most believers live a roller-coaster life. They believe God’s report one day, and they are on top. Then they believe their senses and emotions the next, so they are down and out. Up one day, down the next. Why? They are believing the Word one day and then believing the natural man apart from the spirit the next. Their soul is lifted up above God’s Word. The Bible says, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). When is the day the Lord has made? Today. When will I rejoice? When I feel like it? No, today, whether I feel like it or not. A faith man’s testimony lines up with the Word of God, not with what he is going through. Humble faith people go through things, but they refuse to become victims of what they go through. A victim puts what he is going through in his mouth. People will call speaking the Word instead of the problem lying. “He says that he is healed! I can see the symptoms. That’s a lie!” Who thinks that? A person whose soul is lifted up. A faith man or woman believes the report of the Lord. He is stable. He does not testify one minute and complain the next. He does not tithe one week and rob God the next. He does not praise God this day and grumble the next. He is the same—yesterday, today, and forever! Sound familiar? (Hebrews 13:8). I have heard preachers say, “These pastors who say that they never have a bad day; who say, ‘I’m blessed’; who say, ‘My needs are met,’ are liars! Unreal! Crazy!” What is their problem? They have not learned that their emotions, senses, and circumstances should be subject to the Word of God. Their souls are lifted up.

Pastor Tom Kehres

The Lifted-Up Soul

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. —Habakkuk 2:4

There are two kinds of people in this world: one who is of faith and one whose soul is lifted up. Living with a lifted-up soul is living in pride. It causes you to go out of alignment with God’s kingdom. A person of pride has a lifted-up soul; it is not in right standing with God. A man of pride doubts God’s Word in life situations. Why? Because he believes another report. Why? Because he believes circumstantial evidence over God’s Word. He chooses to walk by sight and feelings rather than by faith. He ends up in pride. Pride’s language is: “I know the Word says I’m healed, but I’m sick.” “I know the Word says I am blessed, but I’m not.” “I know the Word says I’m anointed, but I don’t feel anointed.” True humility believes God’s Word. It makes a decision: “I choose to believe God’s Word.” When? Now, so that unbelief cannot creep into his life. He remains biblically humble, in agreement with the Word of God. Unbelief exalts itself above the knowledge (Word) of God and chooses to believe the natural (2 Corinthians 10:3–6). Unbelief doubts God. Doubt says, “I’m not so sure that God knows what He’s talking about.” You must make a conscious decision: Who is the greatest authority in your life? God’s Word should be the final answer for you. His kingdom’s constitution, the Word of God, is the end of all discussion. If you believe another report other than the Word, your soul is lifted up. This equals pride! Much of what the Church has called humility is really unbelief. “I know the Bible says I can, but I can’t.” “I am weak, but He is strong.” “Lord, You are so awesome, and I am a worm.” “You are great, God, and I’m a loser.” But the Word says that you are blessed, anointed, healed, powerful, and made in God’s image!

Pastor Tom Kehres

Believing Is Seeing

And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. —Mark 16:17

These signs shall follow them that believe. Notice that the believing comes first, and the signs, after the believing. Today’s Church must believe, and the results will be supernatural signs. Most want to see the signs and then believe. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing the Word of God. Faith does not come through seeing signs and wonders. People get excited; they see the power and miracles and wonders and get amazed, but they are not in faith. Faith produces signs and wonders. The Word produces faith. Signs and wonders do not produce faith. Faith will produce signs and wonders. There are two kinds of faith: faith in the Word, or faith in what you see and feel. In John 6, people asked, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (verses 28–29). Who doesn’t want to do the works of God? We all want to heal the sick, cast out devils, and deliver the captives. How do we do these things? By feeling? By seeing? No, by believing! Believing what? Not what we see or feel, but we must believe on Him (the living, powerful Word)! “They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work?” (John 6:30). They desired to be faithless, to live by sense knowledge. There is no bless- ing, no empowerment in seeing to believe. When I pray for healing for people, there are times when they declare they are healed. I will then ask them why they believe they are healed. Many times they reply that the pain is gone. This is fine, but what happens if they go home and the pain comes back? If that is their foundation for healing, then they will be sick again. Is this you? They must get over on the Word that God has healed them so that their healing depends on God’s Word and not their pain. They must believe they are healed because of the Word, independent of any physical evidence.

Pastor Tom Kehres

Go with the Word

And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. —Acts 19:18–20

There was a revival in Ephesus. They were burning demonic books, demons were manifesting, and miracles were performed. Why? Did God send revival? Did God release power from heaven? No! The Word grew and prevailed in their lives. Where did the Word grow? In the hearts and minds of men and women. The Word prevailed over the old, sense knowledge thinking and believing. The Word of God, a faith mind, must prevail over the old, natural mind. The Bible tells you to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23), so you will be able to prove the will of God. The results will be a life of victory and revival—heaven on earth. We are called to fight the fight of allowing the Word of God to prevail over our natural thinking, which is the fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). We are to lay hold of . . . get a hold of . . . grab on to . . . eternal life. Eternal life is the spiritual, supernatural life of God. It is the kingdom of God that is in you. We are to lay hold of the supernatural life of God through faith in His Word. There is a fight to keep you out of faith and keep you in the sense realm. Sense knowledge will never take you beyond things that are seen, felt, or heard. God’s Word deals with spiritual realities. Heaven is real, but it is foolish to the sense-ruled mind. God, angels, and demons are realities, but they are absurd to a sense-ruled mind. Unless a sense-ruled person can see it or feel it, it does not exist to them. Miracles and healings are ridiculous to the senses. Your only weapon against sense knowledge is the Word of God. The Word will take you beyond the natural. Know that sense knowledge is not bad. The senses are necessary to deal with natural situations. We need to see the car coming; we must be able to feel that the stove burner is hot. But when sense knowledge contra- dicts the Word of God, you must go with the Word instead.

Pastor Tom Kehres