CHAPTER 4 - DREAMS AND VISIONS
Separating The Spirit and The Soul
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. KJV
We noticed in Hebrews 4:12 that the word of God is a divider of the soul and spirit, now let us examine this concept in more detail. Specifically, we will discuss how you can separate the soul from the spirit. Well for the unbeliever it is impossible simply because they do not believe in God which keeps them from knowing the fundamental truths about the spiritual kingdoms that exist in the world today. Many unbelievers don’t know the fundamental truths of man being a triune being according to 1 Thessalonians 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. KJV
Since the physical body is natural it is easy to see, feel, taste, smell and hear things that relate to it. However, the soul and the spirit are both present in the unseen realm which means they will be a little more challenging to understand because man can not put them on a table or under a microscope to figure out exactly what they do and how they do it. We believe the soul is a gateway into the spirit realm for each person upon the earth. This is revealed to us from the Word of God in Romans 1:18-21
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. KJV
Verse 20 clearly states that the natural things created in this earth were established to help all mankind understand the spiritual things of God. Since the soul (mind included) is one of the primary ways we understand it is easy to see that the soul is a place of transition. Not only does the soul take the natural information of things present for reasoning and understanding but it can also take spiritual things and transform them into natural substance. All godly ideals start in the mind of Christ (The heart of God) the good ideal in the heart of God can be communicated to us in a variety of ways. Sometimes the ideal will be conveyed through a picture (a vision) or sometimes if you already have a picture of the thing the Lord will give you the understanding of how to make the item work (produce) for His glory. The Lord is always transferring information to the earth but the key is who can pick it up spiritually (recognize God’s information). The Lord is good to both the sinner and the saint but one major difference is the humble saint will acknowledge God’s intervention to give Him His due glory whereas the sinner will not. The pride of man will generally think that their own mind developed a great solution because they invested a lot of time and effort into the discovery or creation. Man does not fully understand how much of God’s grace operates perpetually in this earth so man can not truly appreciate the goodness of God shown toward their development. Remember, the Holy Bible declares that all good things and all perfect things come from our Heavenly Father in James 1:17.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. KJV
This verse reads “gift” it is only because our Heavenly Father gives so freely. Anything that is given freely is known as a gift and our Spiritual Father is giving ideals, pictures, concepts and much more to all mankind all the time. The major problem is men are rarely thankful and it could go without saying that unbelievers can not be thankful. However, we are definitely not unbelievers because we believe in worshipping God in spirit and in “truth” according to John 4:24. As believers we “know” that our Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit all exist in (abide in) the spiritual realm of absolute “truth”. I used the words "know" and “truth” on purpose to help you understand that the things (words, thoughts, dreams, visions, voices, beings, etc) that come from the spiritual realm of God predominately center around this "knowing of truth". When following God's direction for your life you must see God's characteristics in the things (words, thoughts, dreams, visions, voices, beings, etc….) that you are following. What we mean by that is when something comes from God it will have “truth” and the “knowing” combined. We can ascertain “truth” by following God's holy written word. When you compare what you hear in your heart or see with your spiritual eyes to the exact words, principles and/or precepts you find in the Holy Bible you are wise. The Word of God is “truth” according to John 17:17.
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. KJV
The only thing that keeps you steady in your understanding of “truth” is the context of the truth in which it was told. Therefore, observe the context and the duplication of the context in other scriptures to certify the Word of God in your heart. We must be willing to be diligent in the things of God to be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might. We stated before that each disciple of Christ must have “truth” and the “knowing” to establish God's Will (including information and direction) for their life. The truth of God’s Word lays out the perfect road map whereas the knowing of God guides you in the right direction at a specific time on that road map. The Holy Bible is full of statements from God on how man should live so when you couple that knowledge with when to use God’s Words to overcome temptations and problems in life you are a successful Christian. When you are receiving (believing and speaking) accurate knowledge of God you are receiving “truth” and the Holy Spirit will personally bear witness to the direction (information, answer, instructions, etc…) that is right. This is God’s system for letting you “know” that following the “truth” of God is the best plan for your life. The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) is also known as the “Spirit of Truth”.
John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: KJV
When the latter part of this verse states that He will testify of Me it is basically saying that the Holy Spirit will let you know the direction (instructions, answers, counsel, etc…) of Jesus. This “testimony of truth” is automatic for the “Spirit of truth” because the two characteristics of God become one in Him. The words of truth will always come alive within the Spirit of Truth because the Lord ordained this process to help us upon the earth. Since God Almighty is in Heaven and we, His beloved children, are upon the earth it was necessary to send truth to the earth to help us see the Light up to Heaven. In the Garden of Eden the serpent tempted Eve with the enticement of “knowing” good and evil.
Genesis 3:4-5
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. KJV
This “knowing” of God was established in Heaven before man was upon the earth but the serpent tempted the woman by convincing her that doing natural things against God’s commandment would increase this “knowing” in her life. Adam and Eve both “knew” God therefore they already “knew” about good. The serpent was really tempting Adam and Eve to get acquainted with evil by “knowing” him through disobedience to God. Obeying the evil tendencies of this world’s system to willfully disobey God’s Word is evil because it is the works of the devil. What Adam and Eve did not “know” was the consequences of disobedience and the fruits of spiritual separation from God which is evil. As soon as Jesus came to the earth He preached reconciliation with God. This reconciliation included being connected back to God’s Spirit which allows men and women all over the earth to “know” God’s Will again without doing natural carnal works to gain this knowledge. False religions seem to gravitate toward doing good works to gain a higher knowledge (knowing) of God. However, that approach will not give you any additional information about God because it is “knowing” Jesus that enables a person to understand God and His Ways. This lifestyle of “knowing truth” is the primary way a person comes to the cross of Christ to be saved. The ministry of the Holy Spirit reveals to all people upon the earth that they need the Savior Jesus Christ. When each person comes to the realization that they are lost and in need of forgiveness by the Blood of Jesus they “know” enough to call upon His Name to be saved. It is this conviction (witness, knowing) from the Spirit of God that persuades you to follow God’s commandments, which is His Will for your life. When you “know” something you are operating in the parameters of the Holy Ghost. Immediately when a person becomes converted into a Christian the commandment to love others becomes more real to us simply because you know it is right.
1 John 3:23-24
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. KJV
Notice that verse 24 states, “we know” that Jesus lives within us because the Spirit of God inside of our hearts is constantly bearing witness to this fact. Since “we know” God loves us in spite of our shortcomings we are inspired to love others with the same heart of compassion. The world may think that we simply believe a head knowledge of Christianity but they do not understand it is our heart’s reformation that persuades us to truly be a Christian. The phrase that Christianity is a relationship with God not just a religion is absolutely true because one must become born-again to fully experience Christ Jesus in their heart. This message of “truth” was believed first in the heart of every Christian then the experience of God’s Spirit of truth assures our soul of our acceptance of “truth”.
1 John 3:18-19
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. KJV
Reading the highlighted words of verse 18 it states, “My little children let us love in deed and in truth” because operating in God’s love is essential for possessing the “knowing” of God. We read again in verse 19 that “we know” that we are of the “truth” which convinces our heart (spirit and mind) to continue in the things of God. This principle was implemented during our conversion to Christianity and it carries through everything we do in the Kingdom of God. We must “know about Jesus” to be saved and we must continue in this “knowing of God” to walk out our salvation upon this earth. This “knowing” comes directly from the Spirit of God and was transferred to you by the Lord's mercy and grace. There is a scripture in 1 John 2:20 that states:
But you have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. KJV
The scripture states that “we know all things” through this unction from the Holy One. Since the Holy One is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit we can be confident that this unction is of God. We can also understand that it is perfectly acceptable to God to refer to the Holy One as the Holy Ghost because the three are made manifest in the One. This is shown in that same chapter verses 27 and 28 to emphasize abiding in the Holy Ghost:
1 John 2:27-28
27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. KJV
Verse 27 further tells us that He, the Holy Spirit, teaches us all things. We know since becoming Christians we think differently due to the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. This ever present being known as the Holy Ghost does many things for the believer but one of the primary functions of His ministry is to teach you. We have found that the presence of the Holy Spirit teaches us a lot more than understanding the scriptures in the Holy Bible. He also teaches us about other people and He even reveals to us things (tendencies) about ourselves. The Holy Spirit will teach you on any subject you are willing to learn if you will only invest the time, effort and patience required to accurately learn the information studied (presented to your soul). His overwhelming presence will speak to your heart using a few different methods, the key is understanding that this speaking to your heart is not always communicated by words. It is always communicated by the “knowing” that comes from the unction. Some refer to this unction as the witness of the Spirit and that is fine, the important thing for you to remember is that a “knowing” can rise up inside of you from the Spirit of God communicating with your spirit to enlighten your soul. This same “unction” according to verse 27 is referred to as “the anointing”. The anointing can be referred to as the Holy Spirit using general terms but if we were to speak specifically the anointing is only a characteristic of the Holy Spirit. The anointing is given to man from the Holy Spirit but the anointing is not the all-encompassing person of the Holy Spirit. Placing the anointing upon man and within man is what He (the Holy Spirit) does but the Person of the Holy Spirit is so much more than the portion of anointing that you are personally acquainted with. The Holy Spirit is the divine personality of God and His anointing upon your life will enhance your personality without taking it over. It could be understood this way; a person can give you his watch and that watch could tell you the time as long as you wear it but the watch is not the personality of the person who gave you the watch. Yes, the watch is a reflection of the person’s style and taste but the watch alone does not encompass all the styles and taste of the person. A more spiritual example would be speaking in tongues, what some call being Baptized in the Holy Ghost because speaking in an unknown tongue is a fruit (virtue, characteristic, a portion, a manifestation) of the outward flow of that in-filling. The Holy Bible states that the Holy Spirit Himself gives the speaker the utterance according to Acts 2:4 but it is noted that the person must speak. This means that each person who speaks in an unknown tongue received the gift to speak in tongues directly from God. Specifically the Holy Spirit can impart gifts to men but those same men can not boast that they have the full measure of God’s Holy Spirit to operate every unknown tongue known to God. Tongues are from the Holy Spirit but the language of tongues is not the total person of the Holy Spirit. The same can be said with diverse manifestations of the Holy Spirit. There is the spirit of teaching manifested upon the office of a teacher from God. Likewise, there are those who are inspired to preach that carry a different mantle. Moses, spoke as the Law Giver and operated quite differently than the Prophet Isaiah. Although both were mightily used of God through the Holy Spirit upon them neither one ever boasted of having the Holy Spirit in His totality. So it is with the anointing and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will impart to man a portion of His many characteristics and nature by measure but He does not try to impart His whole essence into man because that is not His purpose on earth. The Holy Bible states in John 16:13-14
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. KJV
This truthfully states that the Holy Spirit will not speak about Himself which means He will not give in-depth information about how He thinks and specifically how He operates which leads us to confirm the fact that He is not trying to reproduce Himself. However He is rather trying to reproduce Jesus in you both in spirit and in truth. The Holy Spirit is the one who empowered Jesus upon the earth and He is here to empower you for service. The seed of the written Word of God is available through the Holy Bible but each person must be willing to plant that seed into their heart by faith. Jesus is the Word of God and when you fill up on the Word of God you will be a man/woman of God filled with the knowledge of God but you still need more help. Knowledge of God is always the first step but how you use this knowledge is just as important. Possessing this knowledge will enable you to speak on God’s behalf then His (the Holy Spirit’s) mission is to help you understand the knowledge of God as your personal teacher. Once having the right understanding of God’s Will (His Word, His Wisdom) the Holy Spirit will come upon you to confirm the Word of God you speak and He will also empower you to act like Jesus. Although the Holy Spirit is God and He could do more in the earth He chooses to stay in the ministry role pre-established by the Father God as the third person of the Godhead. In no way, shape or form is the Holy Spirit any less God, nor is He inferior to the other two (the Father and the Son) but He is totally submitted to show us a perfect example of complete submission in the earth. When Jesus walked the earth He was a living witness of how man should submit to God the Father’s Will. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is our current day witness of how we should completely submit to Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. The desire (plan) of the Father was to place a second witness in the earth during this dispensation that showed by example how to preach Jesus, not self. Remember when the Lord Jesus walked the earth He also did not promote His own message but consistently glorified the will of our Heavenly Father God. Likewise the Holy Spirit is hoping that we will do the same through promoting the Gospel of Jesus by showing the Love of our Heavenly Father to the world. These fundamental truths are what we “know” as Christians and this is exactly what we should communicate. Speaking and living by this “knowing” of God is called abiding in the Spirit of God. The “knowing” is the primary way we should communicate with others because it is the primary way God communicates with everything. When operating in the realm of “knowing” you are functioning in alignment with God’s Spiritual kingdom that always produces the right result. This process of the “knowing” is the primary way God communicates with all people. Therefore, when dividing between the soul and spirit be assured that the “knowing” from your heart is generally an attribute of God's Spirit as a witness to truth. Now we will say the "knowing test" alone is not enough because people all over the world have known things that proved to be saddening later when they came to pass. To explain I will use a real life example, it is not uncommon to know about a family member’s death before it happens. In my own life I spoke about my brother's death way before it happen and since he died of a motorcycle accident being perfectly healthy at age the of 25 it was no way I could of guessed about that tragedy. What I spoke was truth but at that age in my life I was completely unacquainted with the things of God. I did not know how God operated nor did I have any ideal about what life or death was all about in the eyes of God. That is why the thing which was known (revealed to my spirit) supernatural was over looked (neglected) due to a lack of knowledge of God’s Ways and His Word. Yes, even a person very close to us (me and my brother) had a dream about the situation before it happened but could not interpret the dream until after the death of my brother. This experience let me know that God was trying to speak with me about future events in my life but due to my ignorance of His Ways I could not interpret His message. Hence, the “knowing” could never be established in me due to my lack of knowledge about God. This brings us to the second item needed to establish the difference between the soul and the spirit. The item that must accompany the knowing (the unction, the anointing) is the knowledge of God’s Word. Yes, the Word of God must be a foundation in your life to secure the knowing of God. If we have accurate knowledge of God we have a portion of “knowing” within us based upon that specific knowledge. Remember when God said, “to some there is given a Word of Knowledge" in 1 Corinthians 12:8 what that means is that when you need to “know” something specific the Holy Spirit may give you the word of God at that time. The Holy Spirit may choose to bring a scripture to mind or a scriptural song. Along with that specific knowledge we are calling a “Word of Knowledge” the Holy Spirit will give you the unction (witness) that this word is truth for you right now. We must note again that the “Word of Knowledge” can be a picture that explains the whole situation without speaking words to your heart in great detail. There will be divine experiences from God that you will “know” what you need to do next without hearing any words or seeing any picture. Just believe in and confess, “All who seek God’s help will find His help in their time of need”. For example: When Angela and I came to Oklahoma I needed a job and I did not know what to do next. I started a salesman job but I “knew” in mine heart I was in the wrong profession. Notice the key word I used, “I knew in mine heart” that something was wrong. After quitting that job I prayed quietly to the Lord because I knew that I should not just go out and try to take any job, I did that once and was unsuccessful. Notice the key word again, “I knew in mine heart” what not to do. After some time in prayer and just being quiet before the Lord I knew exactly where I should go and exactly what I should do when I got there. It was an unusually plan but it worked and I was hired around 35 days latter. Notice the key word again, “I knew exactly where to go next and exactly what to do when I got there”. The key with God is understanding exactly what He is speaking to your heart (knowing, not guessing) as opposed to just doing whatever comes to your mind. First you must be sincere when seeking God’s Will for your life, as long as you clearly understand the situation you are in and what He is speaking to you from His Word by His Spirit the Lord will try His best to help you. God knows that men upon the earth are imperfect but He is still a Perfect God that chooses to work around our imperfections. Praise, be to God for His mercy which endures forever. Amen! However, you must be willing to humbly ask for His guidance and spend some time in His Word to be sure your mind stays on Him. The Lord is always desirous to help deliver you or someone else but you or the other someone else must desire to do things God’s Way. Although God will be content if you have all the information you need to deal with a situation involving someone else He will not be totally satisfied unless you or that same someone else receives their complete deliverance. It is a fail proof system because you need two things operating at the same time within the same spirit (your inner man). When you have the word of God, the Holy spirit of God and your own heart bearing witness to something as truth you can rest assured that it is from the spirit realm, specifically from the Spirit of God. Remember that in the mouth or two or three witness should every word be established according to 2 Corinthians 13:1
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. KJV
The witness of the Word of God is one witness, then the witness of the Holy Ghost is another witness and the witness of your own reborn spirit is the third witness. Having all three witnesses in agreement you have a sure spiritual foundation of God to build upon. If you establish this type of foundation to minister to others they too can build upon the Kingdom of God where Jesus is Lord, and His Word’s reigns supreme. This is a learned process but the more you understand the word of God and the operation of this unction you will be fully assured about the information you receive from God. First know God through His Word, then know the witness of His Holy Spirit (His Ways) and after that you can experience the assured “knowing of God” inside of your own reborn spirit from God. Sometimes this “knowing” is accompanied by (or enveloped within) peace which passes all natural understanding as an additional witness to God's spiritual realm of truth.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. KJV
We know all peace comes from God's Spirit so use these certain indicators to certify your thoughts, images and dreams. We just read that the peace of God can pass all natural understanding so we will dive into how the soulical (soulish) part of your being works. The things of the soul when dividing what comes from whom can be readily identified by understanding that the mind likes to think. Any, I repeat, any thing that produces more thoughts about issues of how to determine a solution or non-spiritual things is of the soulish realm. The primary difference between the thoughts of God and the thoughts of man is that God's thoughts are absolute and they produce a “knowing” inside of you. The thoughts of God are pointing you toward the will of God. Whereas thoughts of the soul will generally produce additional thoughts for the mind to ponder without an absolute statement of knowing (a sound ringing of truth in your inner man). Remember, each seed produces after it's own kind according to Genesis 1:11-12
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. KJV
One of the soul’s primary functions is the determination of what to do with the information that is presented to it. The soul was not created to lead you because you were created to be lead by the Spirit of God. We stated earlier that the soul brings into manifestation the creation of natural things by the ideal (image) from the spirit realm. The soul can also take natural images (things, items, scenery, materials, etc…) and reproduce them in various forms, shapes and sizes. We can understand that when considering natural things the soul (the mind) prefers to categories images and natural items into nice topics that can be stored for future reference. If you are thinking, pondering, cogitating about a particular issue, or situation the soul will keep after it until you decide to think on something else. It is said that the soul can be easily distracted so we must purpose to think on the good things of God. Although the pieces of the puzzle may be spiritual or natural the putting the pieces into the right place for future reference is the soul’s delight. We need the mind of Christ to properly see the right picture of what should be created upon this earth in God’s image. We could say, “we use the mind of Christ to outwardly see exactly what God imagined spiritual for us inwardly”. We see an example of this in Exodus 25:1-9 where God showed Moses a picture of the tabernacle.
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. KJV
The tabernacle started with God, then went through the mind of Moses to explain (show) the Children of Israel how to make God’s sanctuary in the natural. The physical representation of the tabernacle proceeded (came after) the image of God and image of Moses. When we don’t have a clear image of what we desire to create the soul (the mind) will keep on producing thoughts and images until your imagination is satisfied that it has exhausted all possible alternatives (or remedies). Therefore, we can quickly understand that if your soul is searching for a solution it will keep offering you suggestions until you find one that pleases your quest. The thoughts of man generally come from prior things he/she has heard or experienced. This is exactly how you were created because if you were reading God’s Word on a regular basis your mind would retrieve the promises of God to the best of it's ability. By default your mind would start with the most current possible solutions because those are generally the easiest to remember, then it would run it’s course through all the verses (prior experiences, spiritual and natural knowledge) it could think of. Sometimes your soul (mind) will point toward a person that it thinks may have an answer (or be a possible solution). Remember the mind does not always present the best answer first it only attempts to present an answer. Finding the right answer takes the wisdom of God’s Word and the witness of God’s Spirit. The soul will present you with possibilities but the Spirit of God will give you the right solution accompanied by the “knowing” that this is the answer specifically for you. An example of this is when you start to worship God without lyrics put to music, your own heart will start bringing words to mind based upon your prior vocabulary of worship. Many times after a few minutes of trying to worship God with the words you remember it can sometimes be pauses (draw blanks) on what to say next. In your own mind you think, “I know I could say more to God” but finding the right words is a challenge. However, when worshipping God with the assistance of the Holy Spirit He can give you a verse or several verses that seem to run like water. This is commonly known as tapping into the well of living water from God which is endless compared to tapping the mind of your own soul which is limited. Your own personal spiritual well is always limited by the amount of water you presently have in the well. If you have a lot of scriptures in your heart and have trained your inner man to worship God independently of music you will be more successful than the Christian with only a little water that is unlearned in the things of God. When the Holy Spirit is inspiring your worship you never seem to run short of words to say because He is your infinite supply. Likewise when thinking of solutions for your life, the Holy Ghost will enhance this process to only bring the promises to your mind that will positively affect your situation. The soul will try is best to think of a solution but it is limited in it's selection apart from God because the information must make sense to the intellect (human reasoning) of man. This is what is described in Romans 8:5-6 as the carnal mind.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. KJV
The carnal mind is the same thing as the mind of flesh. This mind of the flesh would rather think about a solution apart from God because it has no knowledge of God or it has rejected the limited knowledge of God that was previously presented to it. This is the state of mind for the ungodly and that is exactly why we stated earlier the unbeliever can not separate the spirit from the soul. This leaves the unbeliever at a terrible disadvantage when it comes to making wise decisions because what decision can stand up before God without coming from Him.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. KJV
We also have a very similar verse in Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. KJV
The references agree that God is the beginning of knowledge, which means He is the source of the “knowing” and after you operate in that “knowing” you show forth the fruit of wisdom. Now going back to the two verses in Romans 8:
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. KJV
We do notice that in contrast to the carnal mind we have the mind of the Spirit which is exactly what we discussed earlier when stating the Ways (the witness) of God combined with the Will (the word) of God. Please do not discount all thoughts because often the Holy Spirit will speak to your soul with thoughts but the thoughts of the Holy Spirit can be proven (verified, validated) by God's Word. This validation process takes extra time (patience) and effort (study of God’s Word) but the results are well worth it because you are following God's Will for your life. The mind (included in the soulish part of your being) will attempt to figure things out. So ask yourself the question, "Is this thought assuring or confirming?" because if it is you can probably validate it's source from the Word of God. Knowing that all prophecy is for edification, exhortation or comfort according to 1 Corinthians 14:3
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. KJV
However, if you receive a thought that is idle (neither good or bad) that generates another thought it is probably the working of your own soul. Remember it is seeking solutions to the problems you are pondering but it is limited by it's previous knowledge. Also know that if your soul is idle it will entertain any thought that comes to it to simply pass the time away. Your soul was created to work for you by producing solutions in agreement with God’s Will but if you allow it (the soul) to wander aimlessly it can be counter productive. The soul wants you to “know” the right answer because it was designed to keep searching until you “know” the proper solution. However we have already stated that the “knowing” will only come from God's Word with God's Holy Spirit bearing witness inside of your spirit. Once that confident "knowing" is established in your heart that resolution will consistently come up first to your mind unless (or until) you decide to reject it or ignore it. The knowing solution is the answer of God and that is why the Holy Ghost will bring the godly remedy back to you when you stay on course for performing God’s Will. If you choose to follow God’s Will you have your answer and that is the answer the enemy of your soul will try to discredit. The evil one will bring doubt, lies, questions, and any ungodly thought against you to keep you from possessing the promises of God. If you choose to be double minded as noted in James 1:5-8 you will become unstable and thwart the plan of God for that situation.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. KJV
An unstable person will not receive anything from God because the Lord needs certainty (solidness, soundness) to bring (present, give) the most correct answer. When attempting to answer a prayer of uncertainty it takes away the faith foundation of God to answer that request. For example; if you ask God to help you with a problem and at the same time ask your best friend to help you solve the same problem the Lord will let your friend help you. The Lord will always take you at your word and if your words have asked someone naturally for help He will allow you the freedom of choice. The Lord is the perfect gentlemen so He will diminish His involvement when you are pursuing someone else’s help. Remember God is not in the practice of engaging in competition with men, He will humbly submit to your will when you are not sure if you desire His counsel. The Lord likes to have your full attention when it comes to the decisions of your life. He always knows when He doesn’t have a heart committed to His Answer inline with the Holy Word of God. If your heart is not truly trusting in God’s help He will not accommodate a heart of uncertainty for the sake of human reasoning. It is not the Lord’s intentions to be one of your many alternatives. The Apostle James told us the double minded man will receive nothing from God simply because he lacks faith, which leads to wavering. When the Lord does not have your full commitment to His counsel He really has nothing to answer. If we take a step forward with God and then take a step backward from God are we really following the Lord? This is why the Lord recommends spending sufficient time in the word of God to strengthen your heart and steady mind in Christ Jesus. As we stated before the portion of knowledge you understand will also be a portion of “knowing” established in your life. John 8:31-32 tells us it is the “truth” you “know” that sets you free.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. KJV
The accumulation of the consistent knowledge of God's Word will transform you into a person of vast "knowing" when dealing with the circumstances of life. We have spoken about the knowing of the spirit and the searching of the soul now we will examine the “unknowning” of the evil one. Satan’s primary tool of frustration and deception is the “unknown”. It only makes sense that since God is absolute He is one-hundred percent (100%) of the “knowing” that His opposite would be one-hundred percent (100%) of the unknown. Yes, the knowledge of God empowers the believer just like being ignorant of God empowers the devil. This lack of knowledge allows the enemy to distort truth to the point of destroying people’s lives all over this earth.
Hosea 4:6 (The Lord speaking)
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. KJV
Although these scriptures state, “God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” we can easily expand on that thought to mention "all people" are destroyed by a lack of knowledge of God. The god of this world has blinded the minds of the majority of the people on the face of the earth to keep them from worshipping the true God of Heaven. This lack of knowledge of God keeps them in darkness where Satan can dominate their lives. This is explained to us in 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. KJV
This scripture qualifies the large percentage of the worlds population but there are those who know about the Word of God but choose to reject God’s Commandment for their own personal agenda. The Children of Israel demonstrated this type of behavior quite commonly. One such example was King Saul, who chose to reject God’s will and lost contact with God in the later part of his life according to 1 Samuel 28:15-16
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? KJV
When King Saul stopped obeying God to follow his own will, then the Lord stopped speaking to King Saul. Therefore it was only a matter of time before King Saul was destroyed. This is another witness to the fact we stated earlier that, “if you choose to follow the answers of men or the answers of the evil one the Lord will not answer you”. The humble will hear from God, but the prideful will not.
1 Peter 5:5
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. KJV
The proud in heart think themselves too wise for God’s counsel when making the everyday decisions of their life but only want to pray to God when situations are over their head, which means out of their control. There are many in the world today who will never consider God’s help for them in life simply because all of their life they refuse to acknowledge the existence of God. There are still others who only want to use God as an insurance policy when their own plans fail or look like they might fail. It seems that when man has tapped all sources of his knowledge and still has not found a remedy he will consider tapping the “unknown” to gain the knowledge (knowing) he desires. We read that in the example of King Saul who was trapped in the area of the unknown after he exhausted all his resources. Since King Saul had never taken the necessary time to develop a personal relationship with God to speak with the Lord intimately, he contacted the only person he knew of that could speak on God’s behalf. It is no surprise that the soul will search for the right answer and King Saul still believed that the Lord still had all the right answers. When King Saul awoke the Prophet Samuel his soul received the answer of God from Samuel even though it was not a good solution for the king or his children. As we stated before the soul searches but the Spirit of God knows. King Saul found no satisfying answer through the search of his soul but after he spoke with Samuel, the Prophet of God, he knew the answer and he knew it was from God. Remember, we said the Lord will always speak truth even when the outcome is disappointing to the party that is seeking the knowledge. However, the consistent characteristic of real truth is that He is no respecters of persons. Truth will deal straight with you even when you are the leader of a nation and also when you don’t what to hear the right answer. The enemy would rather lie to you to keep you in darkness because speaking the truth is not in his nature because the devil is a habitual liar.
John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. KJV
This is why Satan and all of his followers are so deceived because there is no light in him. Evil spirits and evil people speak lies consistently so any thoughts from the kingdom of darkness will be outlined in lies. If you have a dream or vision of something unknown the chances are high that it’s source is the wicked one. Knowing that the unknown is unstable we would be wise to stay away from thoughts (dreams, visions, pictures, etc…) that try to predict our future. The future for the most part is unknown and it will remain that way until the Lord sees fit to bring you into the future concerning your specific path of life. The Lord Himself tells us to take no thought for the future so He is not the one showing you the future to consume your thought life.
Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. KJV
The enemy will typically tempt you to think about your future and since the future is full of the unknown this allows him to bring fear and confusion. The devil will paint the worst picture for your future that you are willing to ponder. Since this is more of an art than a science he (the evil one) is not sure what you are willing to accept (or expect). The devil operates in the “unknown” constantly so he may start with something horrible or he may start with someone only slightly bad. Remember he comes to steal, kill and destroy but he needs your help to dominate your life. The wicked one is hoping for you to self-destruct by believing his lies and speaking his words of fear. When you cooperate with the kingdom of darkness you unknowingly submit unto the prince of darkness. The spiritual laws of God are established to give you what you say whether good or bad. Since this spiritual law of reaping the consequences of what you sow with your mouth is scriptural the results can be devastating or wonderful depending upon your beliefs expressed through your tongue.
Galatians 6:7-9
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. KJV
The spiritual laws of God are immutable and omnipresent so men must be on guard to protect their life and the life of those in their household by speaking the right words consistently. The enemy of all men has access to your physical man (through the senses) and your soul (including thoughts coming to your mind) so trying to resist him without the proper knowledge of God’s Will is virtually impossible. It has been said that every man is only as successful as the knowledge he possesses. This is what makes the Christian so powerful because he has the ever increasing knowledge of Jesus Christ to give him insight into the things of God and at the same time he has knowledge of the physical things in the earth. Therefore the Christian can be successful in both the spiritual world and the natural world concurrently. We know that the natural realm will try to influence your spiritual state just as much as your spiritual frame of mind will influence your natural behavior and circumstances. For this reason 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to test all things (thoughts, dreams, visions, etc…) for godliness.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. KJV
The less knowledge you have about a particular subject the more the evil one will tempt you to believe his lies. Your ignorance will be used against you in this life because Satan will always take advantage of a weaker vessel. Although you may not feel physically weak your lack of accurate knowledge of God’s Word will severely handicapped your chances of spotting one of his traps. If you don’t even know a trap is laid out before you because of the darkness of your carnal mind you are probably already trapped but don’t even realize it. We read in John 10:10 that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy so all those who have no knowledge of his activities or whereabouts will be easy targets for his attacks. Those attacks will be targeted at stealing, killing and destroying so both Christians and unbelievers should beware. If any thought has the element of the “unknown” in it you can be cautious and if that same element of the “unknown” has the witness (unction) of fear surrounding it immediately reject it by commanding it removed from your own personal thoughts in the Name of Jesus. This means the thought was not from your soul but rather traveled into your soul from the spiritual realm of the evil one. Precisely speaking all thoughts of personal fear (discouragement, condemnation, confusion, torment, bad news, etc…) generally come from the source of the kingdom of darkness with no positive remedy included. The great thing about the Kingdom of God is that if some disappointing news does come to you, the Lord will bring you the proper solution. Then the Lord will encourage you that He is right there with you giving you light (revelation, understanding) to help you see your way through. Simple wisdom would beg you to ask yourself the question, “Would God try to scare me?” and that question can easily be answered with a resounding, "No". The Lord can give you some experiences that are unpleasant but you will know with all confidence if it was God because the “knowing” (the assurance of truth) will be present in those experiences. In the encounters from God fear and uncertainty is never the predominant characteristic but rather truth and clarity of thought. Remember according to 1 Corinthians 14:33 God is not the author of confusion.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. KJV
This tells us that there is one who is that author of confusion. Yes, the wicked one is the author of confusion, so realize that confusion is his calling card. If you are being confused and frustrated know that God's knowing is not being manifested in your heart, therefore by using the process of elimination the enemy's will of the unknown is at work. We also noticed that the spirit of God’s peace will be lacking when there is confusion. When Christians find themselves in that state of mind the immediate solution would be to get into God's Word so He can shine His Bright Light on your specific area of darkness. The power of God's Word should never be underestimated because when it grabs your attention, it forces your mind to focus on God. Once your eyes are looking at God's Word your heart should be open to what He is saying in His Word. We know that God's Word is truth and that truth will start moving you into the solid area of “knowing” until you have the right answer for your specific problem. Of course praising God and speaking in tongues will edify your spirit to quicken the process of moving into the “knowing” of God.
1 Corinthians 14:4
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. KJV
Praying in tongues also builds-up your faith to enhance your hearing from God’s Word.
Jude 20
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, KJV
If the devil always showed up with red tights and a pick fork he would be easy to identify and avoid. However, he is much too crafty for obvious identification so your task and ours is to use the Holy Word of God to identify first what is God and then reject everything else that is ungodly. If we take that simple approach to discerning what is right for the appetite of a godly heart (spirit and soul) the whole process becomes much more easier. The good spiritual truths of God’s Word identify the things of God as well as the evil things of the devil. Therefore each believer should receive the good spiritual things of God and reject the bad (evil, wicked) spiritual works of the devil. The things in between must be categorized to fit on one side or the other, if you are unsure about a particular dream or vision you do not have to make a decision immediately because it is not causing you any problems. However, any idle dream or vision that is prayed about in the context of God’s Word it (the dream or vision) will receive a witness from God as to accept it or reject it. Possessing the wisdom of patience is a beautiful thing because it allows you to stay still before God and men until you receive divine enlightenment (the knowing of truth). If I am in the middle of a busy week and don’t take time to openly (sincerely, earnestly) pray about a thought (dream, vision, ideal, etc…) I will usually tell myself I need to make time to pray (ask God) about this issue next week or the up coming weekend. Generally, when I do sincerely seek God’s direction it always comes, and praise God sometimes it comes immediately. One key to walking with God is knowing that you do not have to make rash decisions and you do not have to make a decision based upon guilt. This happens when a believer thinks they heard from God so they must do something immediately. I have done that myself in times past and regretted the outcome. I thought to myself later (after the mistake) if I would have only been patience and more prayerful I would have never gotten tricked by the enemy. If you do not have a clear “yes – this is right and godly”, or a certain “no – this is not right and ungodly” do not commit to a decision. Either you have a confident “knowing” from God as to what you are suppose to do or you are waiting patiently until you assuredly “know” what to do. When a believer uses positive restraint based upon the godly characteristic of wisdom and patience that will keep your heart clear from any pollutants. It has been said that, “Patience and godly knowledge is necessary to diminish all doubts of defeat”. All believers have a spirit from God and that reborn spirit of God is pure. We must keep our mind renewed by the word of God and be doers of God’s Word to keep our soul free from the poison of the wicked one. Therefore when you see, hear, think, dream, imagine or envision something that is ungodly immediately reject that thought (picture, image, dream, vision, etc….) from your soul. By rejecting the evil thoughts from your soul by not speaking it and speaking God’s Promise instead you will keep yourself free from the bite of the serpent (the devil). Now that we have learned how to separate the things of the spirit from the things of the soul you can use this knowledge to “know” what dreams and/or visions are from God and what dreams and/or visions are not.