Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #295

Web Description: As we read the Scriptures, it is not long before we realize that God is serious about what He wants us to do and to be. But a Scripture that confronts us with this reality can make us uncomfortable and make us try to lessen its impact in some way. We should stop doing that. The Word of God has the power to transform us. And we should let it confront us, let it impact us, and let its power come through with full force.

Show Notes: Some Scriptures in the Bible are so confronting that we read them and say, "Did God really mean that?" These are Scriptures we tend to avoid or try to interpret in some way that lessens their impact. We know we should believe them, but because we struggle with our flesh, we have trouble accepting verses about God's love for us or His power within us. We need to change our response to the Word and realize that God means what He says when He tells us what He wants us to become and what He wants us to walk in.

Rather than downplaying these Scriptures, we need to let them confront us. Rather than avoiding them, we should meditate on those Scriptures that impact us the most. There is power in the Word of God. If we receive His Word, ååthen He empowers us to walk in that Word. The fact that we cannot do it in ourselves is the very reason we need to let His Word work in us. If God says it, He means it, and He intends for us to get it. We should do nothing less than let the full force of His Word penetrate our hearts and begin to change us.

The Word of God is the greatest power in existence. It is literally the power of God that transforms us into new creatures. It is not by any work of our own. Have you been struggling in yourself to walk with God and break through into His promises? Simply receive a Word from God with the same force it had when He spoke it. Receive the full power of that Word and let it transform you. When you do that, you enter His rest because you are not trying anymore. We all need this, and we reach in together for a greater faith in God's Word.

Key Verses:

• Galatians 5:14. "LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

• John 17:20–21. "That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us."

• John 17:23. "That the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."

• Colossians 2:9. "In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."

• John 20:21. "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

• Ephesians 3:13–19. "Know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

• 2 Corinthians 5:17. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature."

• Romans 8:11. "He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies."

• Hebrews 4:1–11. "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God."

• Hebrews 4:12–16. "The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword."

Quotes:

• "The Father is in Christ and Christ is in the Father and they are in us. How can I live a normal life if I believe that the Creator of the universe lives in me?"

• "Why are we to understand and know the love that Christ has for us? Because if we know that love, we will be filled up to all the fullness of God. We have to take this at absolute face value. This is not a parable. This is not Paul teaching us through parables or through some other type of literary context. He is saying what he means, and he is meaning what he says."

• "When we read these verses, we see that they are in us now. And we see that this Word is powerful to create everything that has been spoken. And we see that it is the Sabbath. These things are finished. They're not for a future day."

Takeaways:

1. We recognize that the Scriptures can be very confronting. But the reason is that God wants to confront us with the reality of what He is telling us to be.

2. We need to crack the shell around us that does not let the Word impact us to the extent that we say, "God is saying this, and I must become it now!"

3. God does not tell us to do something that we cannot do. If He says something, then He empowers us to do it.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #294

Title: Our Gratitude for Christ in Us

Web Description: It is a tradition in Christianity to recite a confession of faith. But our greatest confession of faith is our expression of gratitude for all that Christ is in us. We can only be grateful for something we have received. And we have received Christ, in whom we are rooted and grounded and growing up in everything God has for us. What greater reason is there to be overflowing with gratitude?

Show Notes: Gratitude is an emotion that is foundational to our walk with God. According to Colossians, we should be overflowing with gratitude. But do we really understand what gratitude is and why we need it? Gratitude by definition is a feeling you have after you receive something. You are grateful for what you have already received. You are not grateful because you are hoping or believing to receive something. And the reason we are overflowing with gratitude is because we have received Christ and He is in us.

We have received the One in whom the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. We have received the resurrected Christ who, by the removal of the flesh in a circumcision made without hands, has raised us up with Him. We have received Him who is the head over all rule and authority and who has made us complete in Him. Is it any wonder that we would be overflowing with gratitude? Yet in the process of walking with God, we are easily distracted from what a walk with God is all about.

The reason we walk with Him is because He is living in us. As a result, our growth and maturity are about walking with Him into greater and greater manifestations of the fullness of Christ. The very purpose and drive of the Father in reconciling us to Himself through Christ is to dwell in His people. And He is always leading us toward that goal. What gratitude we should live in that God daily is working and growing and dwelling in our hearts! We should be overflowing with gratitude, finding ways to express that every day, because that is what connects us with the power of Christ living in us.

Key Verses:

• Colossians 2:6–12. "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him … overflowing with gratitude."

• John 14:17–23. "My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him."

• Galatians 2:20. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."

• Philippians 2:8–11. "I count all things to be loss … that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection."

• Ephesians 3:14–19. "Know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

Quotes:

• "We have received Christ Jesus our Lord into our lives, and we are to walk in Him because He is living in us."

• "We are overflowing with gratitude because Christ is in us and He is established in us and we are being built up in Him."

• "I think many times it really escapes us that God is driven to dwell in us. Christ came to reconcile us to the Father, and Christ said that He would dwell in us and that He and the Father would come and take up Their abode with us."

Takeaways:

1. Christ is in us, and we need to live in gratitude because as we express that gratitude, we confess and believe that we have received all that He is.

2. Living daily in a state of overflowing gratitude connects us with all the power and authority of Christ living in us.

3. We should be overwhelmed by the reality that God is driven to dwell in and among His people, and He is always moving us toward that goal.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #293

Title: Faith Is Spiritual Gravity

Web Description: When you wake up in the morning, you do not expect to lose the force of gravity and float off into space. Gravity is always there and always working. Likewise, you should not think of faith as something that you lose and try to get back. Just like gravity, faith should always be there. Do not pump up your faith at times when you need it. Just keep growing your faith at all times.

Show Notes: We tend to think of faith as something we apply in the moment if we want to see something happen or need an answer to prayer. A better concept of faith is illustrated by the force of gravity. Gravity does not turn on or off according to momentary needs. It is always active as a permanent part of our lives. And that is what our faith should be. Of course, faith can trigger a miracle. But that will not happen because you build up your faith at that moment. It happens because you have grown to a level of faith in your walk with God.

Faith grows. It is tested and tried. It is something dwelling in you because you have exercised it consistently in your walk with God. Faith is that which makes the unseen visible. Faith is what God moved in when He spoke the Word that created the universe, making things that are seen out of that which is invisible. God is invisible, and yet Christ visibly manifested the Father into the earth on a continual basis. He did not pump up some faith when someone needed a healing. He simply let the Father impact the physical realm through Him. And people were healed by their own faith in Christ.

If we want to measure our faith, then Christ is our example. His faith was in the Father dwelling in Him, and He manifested the works of the Father. And so our faith is not what we manage to pump up now and then, but rather it is the faith that Christ and the Father are dwelling in us by the Holy Spirit. Faith is a state of being that is constantly manifesting in the world the works of the Holy Spirit. Faith is what we keep appropriating until we are filled up to all the fullness of God, and out of that fullness the Kingdom of God will become more and more visible.

Key Verses:

• Matthew 9:27–29. "It shall be done to you according to your faith."

• Hebrews 11:1–3. "What is seen was not made out of things which are visible."

• Hebrews 11:1 (KJV). "Faith is the substance of things hoped for."

• John 14:16–21. "You will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."

• Romans 8:11. "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He … will also give life to your mortal bodies."

• Ephesians 3:13–19. "Know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

Quotes:

• "When we see the created world around us, we see the result of faith—the faith that God moved in when He spoke the Word that created all things throughout the universe."

• "We need to have a faith that the Kingdom of God surrounds us, is in us, and is to manifest before us on a visible level. And the emanation of that faith must be constant."

• "We need to build our faith and grow our faith surrounding what the Word of God has said already is. In other words, it is a reality in the realm of spirit, but we need to see it manifest in this visible world."

Takeaways:

1. Faith is not something temporary that we exercise only at the moment we need it. Faith is actually like gravity, which is manifesting in our lives all day long.

2. Faith is not something we pump up because it has gone flat. It is something we build and grow in a consistent walk with God.

3. Faith is that which makes the unseen visible. And for the Kingdom to manifest daily in our world from the invisible realm requires a faith that is daily manifesting in our lives.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #292

Web Description: With AI there will be new levels of deception and persecution directed against the people of God. That is why we as Christians need to grow into new levels of maturity, wisdom, and understanding by the Holy Spirit. We must have the mind of Christ that does not judge by what our eyes see and our ears hear in the natural realm. Instead, we are to see and hear in the spirit realm what Christ is disclosing to us from the Father.

Show Notes: Artificial Intelligence (AI), like any other technology, is controlled by humans, meaning it has the potential to be used for good and the same potential to be used for evil. AI is already being helpful in many areas. But its greatest negative impact will come from its ability to affect our perception in ways that were never possible before. It will be increasingly difficult to know if what we are watching is real or not.

Using AI, individuals can be made to appear to be doing things and say things they would never do or say in real life. This would be a powerful means of persecution against Christians if they are realistically portrayed as saying things they never said. So the power of AI to distort our perception is very real. And we are faced with the fact that our natural senses will not give us the true understanding of what is happening in the world. We need to reach into a spiritual maturity that allows us to judge, make decisions, and understand things from a different perspective.

Yeshua (Jesus) did not judge by what His eyes saw or His ears heard. Now more than ever we need to grow up in Christ and have those same attributes. We can no longer afford to be children who are carried away by the trickery of men in craftiness and deceitful scheming. There must be a maturing of the Body of Christ until believers begin to know and understand and see by the Spirit of God. We cannot passively walk with God today. We need to leave our infancy and partake of the solid food of the Word that will mature us into what God wants us to be to this generation.

Key Verses:

• Isaiah 11:1–3. "He will not judge by what His eyes see."

• Malachi 3:14–18. "You will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked."

• Isaiah 5:20. "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil."

• 1 Corinthians 2:14–16. "A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God."

• John 5:19. "Whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner."

• John 8:26. "The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world."

• Hebrews 5:12–14. "Solid food is for the mature, who … have their senses trained to discern good and evil."

• John 8:31–32. "If you continue in My word, then … you will know the truth."

• John 16:12–15. "When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth."

• John 14:16–21. "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."

• Ephesians 4:10–14. "We are no longer to be children … carried about by … the trickery of men."

• Ephesians 4:17–25. "No longer just as the Gentiles also walk … being darkened in their understanding."

Quotes:

• "It's time for us as believers to know how to walk in the Spirit, be taught by the Spirit, and receive the impartation of the mind of Christ from the Spirit so that we might be those who do His will and are free from the lies and deception of this age."

• "There must be the solid food that begins to be given to the Body of Christ to mature them. And through the practice of their walk in the Spirit, they're going to be trained again to discern good and evil."

• "People are realizing they must take a stand. They must stand up. They must speak up. And that is important for us to do. When God sees this move of His people, it says that He is going to spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."

Takeaways:

1. AI is a technology that has great power to deceive. That is why we need the maturity that is not moved by the craftiness and deceitful scheming of men.

2. Satan's great determination is to bring all humanity into deception and drive them away from God. And so we need to reach into the Holy Spirit for a greater impartation of the mind of Christ.

3. Let us stand up and speak the truth in love, trusting in the covering, protection, and salvation promised for those who fear the Lord in this day.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #291

Title: Preparation for Purim

Web Description: As Christians we need to see the significance of Purim for us. Satan is working as much or more today to thwart God's plan as he did when Esther and Mordecai faced the annihilation of their people. The purification and preparation they went through, which reversed the edict of destruction and made them the ones who brought victory, are exactly what we require.

Show Notes: Why should Christians celebrate Purim? What does it have to do with us? It has everything to do with us. If Haman's plot to kill all Jews in the Persian Empire had happened, the line of Christ would have been destroyed. Yeshua (Jesus) would not have been born in Judea; there would be no Christianity and no return of Christ to reign as King in the earth. So Purim is very relevant to us, as are its lessons for us today.

Before becoming queen, Esther had to undergo twelve months of purification. And there needs to be a cleansing and a purity on us that enables us to come boldly before the throne of grace and stand in the presence of God. As queen, Esther knew she could die if she came into the king's presence without his invitation. And if we want God to move today, then we must humble ourselves, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways as we read in 2 Chronicles 7.

At this time of Purim, we see satan working to annihilate the Jews and Israel just as he did in Esther's day. What is happening in the Middle East right now absolutely impacts the plan of God, the Kingdom of God, and all that we stand for as believers. Purim celebrates the fact that Mordecai and Esther had the king's signet ring and carried out his decree. And if we are to carry out the will of God in the earth, then we must be the purified vessels who can wield His signet ring in righteousness, justice, and honor. Let us prepare our hearts to come before the King today.

Key Verses:

• Esther 3:8–11. "If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed."

• 2 Chronicles 7:12–16. "[If] My people … turn from their wicked ways, then I will … forgive their sin."

• Acts 1:9–12. "Jesus … will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

• Esther 2:12. "Twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed."

• Esther 4:11. "I have not been summoned to come to the king."

• Hebrews 4:16. "Draw near with confidence to the throne of grace."

• Esther 5:2–3. "The king said to her, 'What is troubling you, Queen Esther?'"

• Esther 7:10. "They hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai."

• Esther 8:8–11. "The king granted the Jews … the right to assemble and to defend their lives."

Quotes:

• "The ultimate victory that came was not because of what the king did. It's because of what Mordecai and Esther and the people did in rising up to save their own lives."

• "If we're going to celebrate Purim, one of the things we must have is this purification drive and preparation drive in our hearts because it's about us."

• "What He's looking for is that His anointing would rest upon the Body of Christ to move in the earth today, to see the kingdom come and be established, and the things that need to be dealt with, dealt with in all righteousness and justice."

Takeaways:

1. Purim shows us satan's persistent attempts to destroy the Jewish people both to prevent the birth of the Messiah in the past and to hinder His Kingdom today.

2. Purim shows us our need for purification and preparation to come into the presence of God.

3. Purim shows us our need for humility and repentance to be God's prepared instruments that will execute His will with righteousness and justice.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #290

Title: Purim—Anticipating Instant Change

Web Description: We can look at what is happening in the world today and feel like darkness is taking over; everything is getting worse and nothing is going to change. But the Scriptures give us a different picture. The Scriptures show us that things can change in an instant, and the story of Esther is a prime example of that. As we celebrate the Feast of Purim this year, let us anticipate that when we come before the King in our intercession, He will reverse the plot of destruction against God's people and turn our mourning into rejoicing.

Show Notes: The book of Esther records that the Jews established the Feast of Purim "for themselves and for their descendants and for all those who allied themselves with them." It was established so that all generations will remember how the annihilation that was determined and already set in motion was suddenly reversed. In an instant their mourning, sorrow, and fear of destruction were changed into a celebration of gladness and a holiday of feasting and rejoicing.

The Feast of Purim therefore is a celebration of instant change. When we celebrate it, we remember that no matter how bleak things are, everything can change in a moment. What could be bleaker than the plot for complete annihilation of the Jews in the time of Esther? Yet the reversal of that plot has been passed down to us as a remembrance that if we enter the presence of the King and bring our need to His attention, He will command the change and by His Word the destruction that is set to transpire will not happen.

As we see today with Hamas and Israel, satan is still set to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. And as we approach the time of the end, we are seeing satan's plot against the whole earth expand from the Jewish people into all humanity in his determination to destroy all flesh. But we also know by Purim and by the examples of the Scriptures that the plan of destruction can be completely reversed in a moment. So we do not let our hope be tainted by the negativity that surrounds us. We celebrate Purim this year with our hope renewed; and that hope is for instant change.

Key Verses:

• Isaiah 60:1–3. "Darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you."

• Esther 9:20–22. "It was … turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday."

• Mark 13:19–20. "Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved."

• Esther 9:23–25. "When it came to the king's attention, he commanded."

• Esther 9:26–28. "The Jews … made a custom for themselves and for their descendants and for all those who allied themselves with them."

• Isaiah 29:5–7. "It will happen instantly, suddenly."

• Isaiah 17:12–14. "At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning they are no more."

Quotes:

• "You can look and say, 'How can this ever change? How can things ever really be restored to the Kingdom of God from the direction that they're going? How could good come out of such evil?' But we must know and understand that it can, and it will."

• "We celebrate before we see. We have a time of celebration as an expression not only of our faith, but our knowing that God can bring about deliverance and change and bring about another purpose and will."

• "This feast was consecrated by Mordecai for us as those who are allies with the Jewish people and with Israel. And so I proudly celebrate Purim, and I am thankful for my inclusion in its celebration."

Takeaways:

1. Purim is an example of deliverance, repeated many times in the Scriptures, that things can change 180 degrees in just one moment.

2. We as believers must live in the knowledge and faith that at any second God can move and everything can change. We cannot be tainted by the oppression of this age.

3. We must never lose the reality in God that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, everything can be different.

Scriptural Examples of Instant Change:

Purim. Read the book of Esther.

Passover. Read Exodus 12

The Famine in Samaria. Read 2 Kings 7

The Resurrection. Read John 19:30—John 20:29

Resources:

Help Israel Now | Interviews From Israel

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #289

Title: Times of Refreshing

Web Description: We believe in the promise that there will be times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. But when we look at our circumstances, we think, "This doesn't seem like refreshing to me!" That is the wrong focus because what precedes and initiates the times of refreshing is the fact that we repent and return to the Lord. Let us see the whole picture that includes our repentance as a positive progression into all that God wants us to have and be in Him.

Show Notes: The apostle Peter prophesied that there will be times of refreshing and restoration. And for many years now we have seen restoration happen in the Church. Many of the gifts, ministries, and experiences of the Holy Spirit have already been restored. Along with this restoration, we therefore anticipate the times of refreshing as well. Yet the devastating experiences we go through make it difficult to accept that we are in times of refreshing. We have to remember that this promise of restoration and refreshing occurs because we repent and return to the Lord.

One of the greatest chapters on restoration is Joel 2, where we also read about the outpouring of God's Spirit on all mankind. But how do the restoration and outpourings come about? They come about because people return to the Lord with weeping and mourning and rending of their hearts. We are not immune from this in our walk with God. The most important thing God is restoring is the personal relationship with Him on a level we have not known before. As we seek for that relationship, the Holy Spirit puts us in a place of being humbled before the Lord.

This process of repentance and humility is how we experience restoration and times of refreshing. And like Job, it is certainly easy to think negatively about what God leads us through in that process. But as with Job, God's purpose is to give us the times of refreshing. His goal is the positive work He will do for us and with us. His plan is to restore us to Himself as those sons of God who shouted for joy at His creation. That is why we keep our focus on Him and return to Him with all our hearts.

Key Verses:

• Acts 3:18–21. "Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come."

• Joel 2:12–13. "Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning."

• Joel 2:28–29. "I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind."

• 2 Peter 3:9. "The Lord is … patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

• Matthew 3:1–2. "John the Baptist came, preaching … 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

• Matthew 4:17. "Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

• Job 38:1–7. "Where were you when … all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

Quotes:

• "The Spirit is poured sovereignly, but He rests comfortably where there is repentance, humility, and alignment to His will."

• "Real repentance is not shame driven. Shame says, 'Hide. You are unworthy.' Repentance says, 'Return. You belong to the Father. You belong to the plan of God for this hour.'"

• "Repentance is not punishment. It's a doorway back into the love relationship with the Father."

• "God will do whatever He needs to do to get us into His eternal purpose for our existence."

Takeaways:

1. According to Joel 2, what happens to prepare us for the global outpouring of God's Spirit and the new day of the Kingdom? It is the brokenness of our hearts and repentance that is a real return to the Lord.

2. We must follow the roadmap to the promised restoration and outpourings. There is a divine order to God's plan as He brings us in alignment with His way of thinking and His will.

3. God's process of humility is not to punish us. It is not to shame us. It is the path we walk on to a fully restored relationship with the Father.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #288

Title: What Does Scripture Say About Us?

Web Description: Are you confident that you always believe that God means what He says? What about when you read a Bible verse that tells you to be like Christ? If we are honest, we would admit that we have trouble accepting Scriptures about God's divine nature in us and what He expects us to be. Rather than skipping over such Scriptures, we should work at embracing them and applying them with all our hearts.

Show Notes: There are certain Scriptures that we find very difficult to take literally, especially when they challenge how we think about ourselves. When we read in John 17:23 that the Father loves us with the same love He had for Yeshua (Jesus), we tend to stop and ask, "Did He really mean that?" After all, how could God love us in our sinfulness with the same love He had for His Son? But God does mean what He says about us. God is bringing many sons to glory, loving them just as He loved Christ, who was the first born of many brethren.

When Yeshua was born, He could do nothing as a baby that He would do as a grown man. But He was already the Son of God, Savior, and Lord at His birth. He grew up to fulfill the purpose God sent Him to the earth to fulfill. And when we are born in Christ, He implants His divinity in us. Then our growth and maturity in Christ comes from this nature of Christ already within us. Just as Christ grew up into the fullness of the Father, according to Ephesians 4 we are to grow up into the fullness of Christ. Yet we resist accepting that about ourselves. Many even consider it heresy to say that we can be like Christ.

These Scriptures about who we are in God need to get through to us. We cannot simply skip over them or find other ways to interpret them because we have a hard time accepting what they say we are. We need to clearly see the purpose that God has for us and His equipping that matures us into who we are to be as full-grown members of the Body of Christ. That is why we have begun a project with the Fellow Workers. We are building a list of Scriptures that confront us about who we are and what God has put us on this earth to be. Join us in finding these Scriptures, meditating on them, and planting them in our hearts until they bear fruit in our lives.

Key Verses:

• John 17:23. "You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."

• Romans 8:29. "He would be the firstborn among many brethren."

• Ephesians 4:11–13. "He gave … for the equipping of the saints … until we all attain … to the fullness of Christ."

• Luke 2:52. "Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."

• Hebrews 2:10. "It was fitting for Him, … in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation."

• John 14:5–18. "The Father abiding in Me does His works."

Quotes:

• "It's that constant reality that is manifested in the now that we are what God brought us here to be. Is that maturing? Is it perfecting? Yes. But get out of the idea that you're becoming something different or that you need to become something different than what you are."

• "Our mind kind of blocks and parries this off so that we don't let it really hit us like it needs to hit us—that the Father is in Christ and the Father is in us and Christ is in us and we are one."

• "He wants us to be equipped. I think it's part of our relationship with one another because somewhere, in us and around us, abide these apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, brothers and sisters, and that which is bringing forth this process of maturing."

Takeaways:

1. God has chosen to be in this time just as He sent Christ to be in His time. So we need to find and come into connection with the reality of who we are and what our purpose is in this earth. And the Scriptures play an important role in that.

2. When we encounter a Scripture that seems too wonderful to believe about ourselves, we tend to interpret it in a way that lets us not take it at face value.

3. We must get out of this idea that we are working toward something or that we are doing a job out of dedication. Our work of service comes out of the divinity of the Father and of the Son that God has installed within us.

4. We need to be looking through the Scriptures and finding verses that confront us with the reality of who we are—that Christ and the Father are in us—and come to grips with what that means.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #287

Title: Seeing Him Who Is Invisible

Web Description: What is faith? According to Hebrews 11, faith is the evidence of things not seen. And men and women of faith saw God who is unseen and brought into this world His works that were unseen in their day. Let us be those whose faith does the same in our day. Instead of struggling to believe, dwell where you are seeing Him who is invisible and make His will visible in the earth.

Show Notes: Yeshua (Jesus) said, "All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Like many Scriptures, this statement challenges us. Did He mean that literally? Can we really believe that we will receive all things we ask for? Yes, we absolutely should believe that Yeshua meant what He said. But the purpose is to have the faith of those listed in Hebrews 11. These are our examples of the faith that is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence in things not seen."

All things that are seen were created by God's Word from that which is unseen. Therefore, just as God manifested what was unseen into the visible world, these men and woman of Hebrews 11 were able by their faith to bring into the visible realm those things that exist in the invisible realm. And the whole intent of this chapter in Hebrews is to convey God's will for us. As we walk with God today in the earth, He is speaking to us to bring into the visible realm His completed works that exist in the invisible realm.

We often find ourselves struggling with doubt and unbelief. And the reason is that we are not experiencing what Moses experienced; he delivered Israel by "seeing Him who is unseen." Therefore, the faith of Moses was the evidence of the promise that was not seen. And if you are wanting evidence that what you are praying for is going to work, then start by seeing God who is invisible. See Yeshua who promised that His servants will be with Him where He is. Let us claim this ability and exercise it today.

Key Verses:

• Matthew 21:22. "All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

• John 17:23. "You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."

• Hebrews 11:1 (KJV). "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

• John 12:26. "Where I am, there My servant will be also."

• Hebrews 11:1–5. "What is seen was not made out of things which are visible."

• Hebrews 4:9–10. "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God."

• Hebrews11:13–14. "All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them."

• John 5:19. "Whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner."

• John 8:26. "The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world."

• Hebrews 11:27–40. "He endured, as seeing Him who is unseen."

• Ephesians 2:10. "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand."

Quotes:

• "We are to enter into a Sabbath rest. In other words, we are to be able to manifest that which God has sent us here to manifest and to complete the work which we've been given to do."

• "Moses was seeing Him who is unseen. It doesn't mean that God is not seeable. It just means that in the natural material world God is not seen as a normal course of our existence. But Moses was moving in the natural world by seeing Him who is not seen in the natural world."

• "You can't make a miracle out of that which is seen. You make it out of that which is unseen. And the only way you can accomplish that is by seeing Him who is invisible. And when we see Him who is invisible, then that which is invisible manifests itself into this realm in which we live."

Takeaways:

1. According to Hebrews 11, just as God created what is seen out of what is unseen, our faith is about bringing what is unseen into the visible material realm.

2. We may not see the full manifestation of God's promises, but we walk by seeing Him who is invisible. And we do not waver in our purpose to make seen the things of God that are still unseen in the earth.

3. God has finished all His works, and we are looking for the city He created. It already exists, and we can see and dwell in it now in a very real way. But He is looking for us to bring into manifestation all that He wants to see happen in the age we live in.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #286

Title: New Year's Connection With Our Fellow Workers

Web Description: Elijah stood at the entrance of his cave with his awareness fixed on the Lord to hear how the Lord would direct him. And today we stand at the precipice of a new year, determined to stand before the Lord with an awareness of Him that hears His instructions, understands His directions, and applies them to our lives.

Show Notes: In a New Year's meeting with our Fellow Workers, we review the past year and look to the year ahead. Last year, Hargrave Ministries achieved significant progress in both the ministry of the Word and our outreach to Israel (see Israel Projects). And we are anticipating even greater progress this year. To that end we are updating the website to provide better access to the teaching materials and streamlining the donations to Israel. But in all we do, we want to be those who have the insight, as Daniel prophesied, to instruct people concerning God's purpose for them in this age.

The story of Elijah on Mount Horeb is a lesson on how to do that. The Lord told Elijah to go to a specific place, and Elijah obeyed. And our first step is to be in the place where the Lord is leading us. Then the story explains how God was not in the various manifestations Elijah witnessed as "the Lord was passing by." Elijah was not distracted by those things but waited until he received the specific instructions the Lord wanted him to follow. We too can be aware of all that is taking place in the world as the Lord is passing by. But our focus needs to be on the specific instructions the Lord has for us.

Like Elijah, we do not want our awareness of things, even if God is in them, to draw our focus away from what the Lord wants us to be aware of. Just as He told Elijah exactly where to go, who to see, and what to minister, we want our teaching material to impart more than a knowledge or understanding of the Bible. We need the insight—knowing both what the Lord wants us to do and how to do it. We have seen the success of this already in our ministry to Israel. And this year we look forward to even greater insight and application of the Word in people's lives.

Key Verses:

• Lamentations 3:22–23. "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning."

• 1 Kings 19:11–16. "The LORD was not in the wind."

• Daniel 12:8–10. "Those who have insight will understand."

• Daniel 12:1–4. "Those who have insight will … lead the many to righteousness."

Quotes:

• "Our awareness is something that we have to hold as a tremendous value. And we have to carefully guard it from that which wants to take it off into what God's not really wanting us focused on."

• "Our focus on Israel comes out of our understanding of the Word. And what we're doing in Israel is a manifestation of the understanding, the learning, and the insight that we have."

• "What do I want out of Hargrave Ministries this year? I want to see the instructors come forth in the earth. I want to see teaching that is the impartation of the how—not just knowledge—but how to move in it, how to do what God wants done in manifesting His Word and His purpose on the earth."

Takeaways:

1. This new year we are believing for awareness: awareness of what God is doing, what He is speaking, and how He is leading us.

2. This year we are looking for the teaching on our website to be more than knowledge of what the Bible says, but how to enter into what it says, and how to hold an awareness of what God is speaking until the manifestation of that comes in our lives.

3. A manifestation of this awareness would be those who will be instructors in this age—not instructors of a lot of information and knowledge, but of how to become what God is looking for.

4. This year our giving to Israel will emphasize the original vision of ministering to Israel as a whole. When you give to Israel through Hargrave Ministries, you will be giving to all of Israel and not just to a specific project.