Category Archives: armour of God

October 31, 2026 · 10:06 am

The Shield of Faith and Hope—Working Together to Produce Agape Love

Faith and Hope United

Faith is “being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NET). Faith rests upon the promises of God and gives certainty to the hope He has placed before us. Though His promises remain invisible to our physical eyes, faith enables us to embrace them as realities that will surely come to pass.

Hope is founded upon the Word of God and the promises He has spoken. He has promised His children eternal life, a dwelling place in the New Jerusalem, and the inheritance of a glorified spiritual body (Revelation 21:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:42-54). Because these promises have not yet been fully realized, we hope for them. Faith, however, gives us assurance that what God has promised will indeed be fulfilled.

Thus, faith and hope are inseparably linked. Hope looks forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises, while faith is the confident assurance that those promises are certain. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and convinced of what we have not yet seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Hope, Faith, and the Production of Agape

This relationship between faith and hope provides the foundation upon which agape love is manifested. Hope is generated through hearing the Word of God and receiving His promises. For this reason, Scripture says, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

As we hear His Word, the Holy Spirit works within us, revealing truth and granting understanding through His gentle illumination (John 16:13). These spiritual insights strengthen our faith and teach us to walk in His ways. As we continue on this path, agape love increasingly abides in our hearts. We become grateful to Christ for calling and choosing us and for revealing His divine purpose to us. Every road that leads to Him ultimately brings us into the blessing of His abiding presence (John 15:4-10). His presence and abiding in us is Agape Love.

The Hope Set Before Us

(Romans 8:14-29)

The Apostle Paul describes several aspects of the hope that God has given to His children:

  • God’s glory shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
  • The sons and daughters of God are those who are led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14).
  • The whole creation eagerly awaits the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19).
  • Creation itself was subjected to futility in hope that it would one day be delivered from corruption and decay (Romans 8:20-21).
  • We hope for what we do not yet see, waiting patiently for its fulfillment (Romans 8:24-25).
  • God foreknew, called, and predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

These promises constitute the hope of our calling. Although they remain future realities, faith enables us to be fully persuaded that God will accomplish all that He has promised.

The Faith of Christ Toward Us

This is the hope of which we are sure and the faith by which we are convinced. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, demonstrating both the depth of His love and the certainty of His purpose (Romans 5:8). He saw beyond what we were and looked toward what we could become through His grace.

Christ endured the cross because of the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). He looked forward to the harvest of sons and daughters who would respond to His calling. In this sense, His actions reveal a perfect confidence in the Father’s plan and purpose. He showed us the way and invited us to follow Him into the same hope-filled faith.

The Faith of God

(Genesis 1:26-28; Isaiah 46:9-10)

From the beginning, God exercised faith in the sense described by Hebrews 11:1. He was completely assured of what He purposed to accomplish and fully convinced that His plan would come to pass. Before creation itself unfolded, He declared the end from the beginning and established His purpose for humanity (Isaiah 46:9-10).

God’s purpose has always been to expand His family by bringing many sons and daughters to glory (Hebrews 2:10). He was certain that His plan would succeed and that His Word would not return void. This divine certainty is reflected in His works throughout history and is now shared with us through the faith that comes from hearing His Word.

A powerful example is found in the resurrection of Christ. The Father was fully assured that His power would raise His Son from the dead, fulfilling every promise He had spoken (Acts 2:24; Romans 6:4). This demonstrates God’s unwavering confidence in His own purpose and power. Before we ever existed, He had already determined that His promises would stand and that His redemptive plan would be fulfilled. Such confidence is the very foundation upon which our faith rests.

Conclusion The shield of faith is inseparably connected to hope and agape love. Hope looks forward to the promises of God, faith embraces those promises with certainty, and agape is the fruit produced as God’s Spirit works within us. Through hearing His Word, receiving His promises, and walking in His ways, we grow in faith and become established in hope. As this process unfolds, the love of God increasingly fills our hearts, directing us ever closer to Him. Therefore, faith, hope, and agape remain inseparable companions in the life of every believer, for “now abideth faith, hope, charity [agape love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [agape love]” (1 Corinthians 13:13).       Kenneth Wayne Hancock [Having made it this far, you have been blessed by our Father. For He is the One who gave this to me five days ago. This is His letter to us all. I have been studying it for five days. I found out that the knowledge found here is a precious spiritual commodity. Don’t skip over it like a butterfly floating to the next flower. Go over this several times. Dig deep and you will put your house upon the Rock.]

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October 26, 2026 · 1:06 pm

Taking the Shield of Faith

If God has called you, then you will experience trials of faith. Scripture tells us not to be surprised when these seasons come, for they are an essential part of God’s work in perfecting His people. Peter wrote, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” These trials are not evidence of God’s absence but of His refining purpose. Through them, He purifies faith, strengthens character, and conforms us more fully to the image of Christ. In these moments believers learn the necessity of taking up “the shield of faith,” God’s provision against the fiery darts of the wicked one. (1 Peter 4:12; James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5; Ephesians 6:16)

The victory of the Christian life is not found in the strength of our own faith, but in receiving, appropriating, and walking in the faith of the Son of God, which enables us to endure every trial and bear increasing fruit unto God. (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 6:16; John 15:5)

First, there is only one true faith, and that faith is found in the Son of God Himself. Our old man was crucified with Christ, and through faith we have been united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. This is a gigantic leap of faith. Because we now live in Him, we are called to live by His faith rather than our own natural strength. Paul testified, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Christ extends His faith to us, but we must receive what He freely provides. Therefore, the apostle exhorts believers, “Above all, taking the shield of faith.” The Christian life is not merely believing about Christ but living by what Christ Himself supplies. (Romans 6:1-11; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 6:16)

The faith of Christ protects the believer and enables him to “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Yet this raises an important question: What exactly is the faith of the Son of God? Most believers have read the Scriptures concerning faith, but have we truly understood them in the depths of our hearts? Before we can effectively wield the shield of faith, we must understand the nature of the faith God has provided through His Son. (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 6:16; Hebrews 11:6)

This question is of great importance. Many sincerely say, “I believe in Christ.” Such belief is the beginning of the Christian walk. Yet standing firm in the faith of Christ while Satan’s arrows assault the mind is another matter altogether. As we draw nearer to our Savior and seek deeper fellowship with Him, opposition often increases. God desires that His people move beyond spiritual infancy, build their house upon Christ the Rock, and bear not merely fruit, but “more fruit” and ultimately “much fruit.” (John 15:2, 5, 8; Matthew 7:24-25; Ephesians 6:16)

Therefore, let us dig deeper into the unsearchable riches of Christ. Let us seek from the Holy Spirit a thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold understanding of the faith of Jesus Christ. Spiritual fruitfulness is inseparably connected to spiritual understanding. As the Spirit opens our eyes to the heart and mind of Christ, we become increasingly equipped to walk in victory, maturity, and fruitfulness. (Ephesians 3:8; Mark 4:8, 20; John 16:13)

Before examining the faith of Christ in greater detail, it will help us to review some foundational truths concerning faith itself. Every aspect of our relationship with God begins, continues, and matures through faith. The just live by faith, walk by faith, and overcome by faith. If faith is so central to the Christian life, then we must understand what Scripture means when it uses that word. (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7)

One of the Bible’s foundational definitions is found in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Another translation renders it, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see” (NET). Faith is a God-given certainty concerning realities that cannot yet be perceived by the natural eye. It reaches beyond the visible world and lays hold of what God has spoken because it rests confidently upon His character and His promises. (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 4:20-21; 2 Corinthians 4:18)

Conclusion We have seen that trials are a normal part of God’s refining work in the life of every believer and that victory over those trials is found not in human resolve but in the faith of Christ. The shield of faith is more than a doctrine to admire; it is a spiritual reality to be received and exercised. As believers learn to depend upon the faith supplied by the Son of God, they are enabled to withstand the attacks of the enemy, grow in spiritual maturity, and bear increasing fruit unto God. Having established that the Christian life is lived through His faith rather than our own, we are now prepared to examine more closely what the faith of the Son of God is and how it operates within the heart of the believer. (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 6:16; Hebrews 11:1; John 15:5, 8) Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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October 16, 2026 · 4:30 pm

The Heart of the Father, the Mind of Christ

[From Chapters 6 and 7 of my book, The Additions to the Faith]

To contemplate Yahweh’s purpose is to seek the mind of Christ and the very heart of the Father. Such a pursuit stretches our small hearts and minds and enlarges them until we begin to see through God’s eyes. As He declares, “My thoughts are not your thoughts.” God has His own agenda and purpose. We, too, have plans and desires for our lives, but few possess the same purpose that fills the heart of our Heavenly Father. Herein lies humanity’s great dilemma. (Isa. 55:8-9)

From the beginning, God has worked according to a master design. Though mankind often wanders from that design, He patiently waits for His crowning creation to come into harmony with His purpose. His dealings with Israel reveal this patience. He took the twelve tribes as His wife, intending to bring forth sons and daughters through a spiritual union with them. Yet they pursued the gods of the nations around them. Through Jeremiah He lamented that faithless Israel had committed adultery and had been given a certificate of divorce. Nevertheless, His mercy remained, and He promised forgiveness and restoration if they would return to Him. (Jer. 3:6-14)

Behind all of God’s dealings stands a purpose that is both simple and profound: God is reproducing Himself through a chosen company of human beings. Certainly, He loves us and desires to save us from sin and self-destruction. The mind of Christ does not remember our sins and faults. Satan does and throws it up to us in a constant barrage of celluloid-like scenes from our sordid past. Satan remembers and hurls memories at our mind until we awaken to what is really going on. No, our father does not remember the sins of our past so, why should we remember them? But salvation is only one part of a much larger eternal plan. To understand that plan, we must consider what is contained within the very word “Father.” (Eph. 1:4-12; Rom. 8:29)

What Is in the Father’s Heart?

A father is one who begets life. The title itself implies offspring, reproduction, and inheritance. One cannot truly be a father apart from children. Thus, the desires of the Father’s heart are revealed in His name. His purpose is to bring forth sons and daughters who bear His likeness and share His nature. (Luke 3:38; Heb. 2:10; 2 Pet. 1:4)

Many claim God as their Father, yet often deny the spiritual law that He established from the beginning: every seed bears after its own kind. If God is truly our Father, then His purpose should become our purpose. His desires should become our desires. We should seek to know His mind and participate in the work that fills His heart. The Father’s great purpose is to reproduce His life, His character, and His love until He fills creation with the expression of Himself. Humanity was created to be the vessel through which this purpose would be accomplished. (Gen. 1:11-12, 26-28; Eph. 3:14-19)

Walking in Agreement with the Spirit

This understanding is essential if we are to walk in the Spirit. Scripture commands us to “walk in the Spirit” and to “abide” in Christ. Yet how can we walk with Someone if we do not know where He is going? As Amos asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” To walk in the Spirit requires agreement with the Spirit. We must understand not only where God is leading, but also why He is moving in that direction. (Gal. 5:16, 25; John 15:4-5; Amos 3:3)

Christ perfectly understood this. Throughout His life He was occupied with His Father’s business. He possessed the mind of the Father and devoted Himself to completing the Father’s work. And what was that work? The reproduction of God’s life through the Seed Son. (Luke 2:49; Phil. 2:5; John 4:34; John 17:4)

Creation itself testifies to this purpose. Everywhere we look, life seeks to reproduce itself. Plants bear seed. Animals multiply. Humanity is driven to seek companionship and family. These patterns are not accidental. They are witnesses embedded in creation that point to the Creator’s own purpose. God is reproducing His life and His love, and mankind is the spiritual soil in which this divine work is taking place. (Gen. 1:21-28; Rom. 1:20)

Only when we understand and embrace this purpose can we truly walk in the Spirit and abide in Christ. If our worship, ambitions, and prayers are centered upon a different objective, then we are no longer abiding in Him. To abide in Christ is to remain in fellowship with His purpose and to align ourselves with His plan. (John 15:4-8; 1 John 2:24-28)

From Servants to Friends

This is also the pathway from servanthood into friendship with God. Jesus told His disciples, “I call you not servants … but friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” A servant obeys commands without understanding the larger purpose. A friend is entrusted with the secrets of the heart. What greater privilege could there be than to know what the Father is doing and to be invited into His counsels? (John 15:15; Ps. 25:14)

Nor was this privilege reserved only for the first disciples. In His prayer recorded in John 17, Christ expanded this promise to all who would believe through their testimony. He prayed that we might share in the same unity and glory that existed between Himself and the Father. This invitation extends to us today, if we have faith to receive it. (John 17:20-23)

The promise that whatever we ask in His name will be done is connected to this abiding relationship. When we are united with God’s purpose, our prayers become expressions of His purpose. We begin to ask for the things that advance His work, and those prayers find their answer in Him. (John 15:7, 16; 1 John 5:14-15)

Joining the Father’s Work

The tragedy is that many believers pursue purposes that differ from God’s own. When our ambitions, ministries, and religious activities are rooted primarily in human desires, we mistake our plans for God’s will. True worship is not merely offering God our ideas of what should be done. It is joining ourselves to what He is already doing. (Matt. 15:8-9; Prov. 14:12; Isa. 29:13)

When we understand His purpose and commit ourselves to its fulfillment, something changes within us. The power of the Spirit increases in our lives because we have become fellow workers with Christ in the Father’s business. Christ is finishing the work given to Him, and the members of His body are called to share in that same labor. (1 Cor. 3:9; Mark 16:20; John 14:12)

Our calling is to bear witness to the truth that God is reproducing Himself through the Seed Son. As Christ’s life grows within us, the reality of His resurrection becomes evident through transformed lives, spiritual power, and the works of God manifested through His people. The world is to see the life of Christ expressed through those in whom the Seed has come to maturity. (Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:27; Rom. 8:11; John 12:24)

Wisdom Before Power

Yet this journey begins with wisdom and knowledge. It begins with seeing what God is doing and understanding why He is doing it. Significantly, the first gifts of the Spirit listed by Paul are the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. Before power comes understanding. Before effective service comes revelation. (1 Cor. 12:8; Prov. 4:7)

As we come into agreement with the Father’s purpose, the Spirit supplies the wisdom, knowledge, and gifts necessary for us to participate in His work. And that work, from beginning to end, is the desire that has always filled the Father’s heart: the reproduction of His own life and character in His sons and daughters until His purpose is fully accomplished. (Eph. 4:11-13; Rom. 8:29; Hab. 2:14; 1 Cor. 15:28)

In short, some humans will love God. They are “the called according to His purpose.” He knew them from before. He gave them a predestiny “to be conformed to the image of His Son. He predestinated them; He called and chose them; He justified them and glorified them. Having done all this for us, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. (Romans 8:28-37)

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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March 11, 2025 · 11:59 am

Thinking God’s Thoughts–The Additions and the Abiding

Thinking God’s Thoughts–The Additions and the Abiding

(from a Journal entry dated 7-30-14)

If you want to hear from God today, soften your heart by believing. Believing what exactly? Believe that God exists and is there, very near to you. And that He reveals Himself to those who search for Him with all their heart. We need to believe Him, like a little child believes—with all our heart (Heb. 11:6).

That is why it is so important to tell children the truth. For they will believe you. They’ll believe you, for instance, about Santa Claus and the flying reindeer, until the day they discover their first betrayal, until the day when they trade their faith in for a plastic phony world.

Nevertheless, God promises true things to His children. He promises everlasting life and power that overcomes obstacles in our lives—starting today—if we do not doubt Him. He has promised us that if we believe Him, then He, the Spirit of truth, will come and dwell/abide in us!

But, first, we must abide in Him. We must dwell in Him by getting rid of untruths and, frankly, the doctrinal errors that we all have been subjected to. He calls this “purging out the old leaven” (I Cor. 5:7; see Purge Out the Old Leaven = Getting Rid of False Concepts | Immortality Road).

This is “abiding in Him.” When this is done, then He will abide in us. This is how spiritual growth works. For it is when His Spirit dwells fully in us that we will show forth Him! This is the fulfilling of His purpose: God’s will is for Him to reproduce Himself, and “God is agape Love.”

We abide in Him when we think His thoughts. It is when we “get our minds right” and “get with His program” that we can abide in Christ. This leads to Christ fully dwelling/abiding in us.

Again, to abide in Him and He in us is to think His thoughts. This is having the same mind that Christ has. “Let this mind be in you” (Phil. 2:5).

How to Think His Thoughts

Two spiritual tools exist to help us train our minds to think His thoughts. For Yahweh’s thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8). So then, our minds must be re-educated. We are born from a matrix of doubt and disbelief. We have been misled about what the truth is. So, the Master Teacher has prescribed prayer and fasting to cast out the unbelief.

Put another way, the two increase belief. They add to our faith. In fact, the seven additions to the faith are added by faith/belief, and God has ordained that prayer and fasting come into our spiritual life. He not only desires this for us, but He also makes it happen (II Peter 1:5-12).

Adding the seven additions is the only way in scripture to “make our calling and election sure (v. 10).” These seven “things make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of Him. Adding them ensures that we will bear much spiritual fruit (v. 8). By adding them to our faith, we are ensured “an entrance…into the everlasting kingdom…” (v. 11). [See Additions to the Faith to Make Our Calling and Election Sure–To Be Like Peter, James, John, and Paul | Immortality Road

For His elect have their destiny pre-determined by God. And He will restore what we had with Him in the beginning—which are the seven additions to the faith.

Peter is imploring us to take heed. Take the additions to heart. If you want to be in His elect cadre, we must add the attributes of His divine nature. The Spirit is telling us to add them. We must do this. We do not work for salvation; it is a gift. But we must work to spiritually grow through study and prayer. We work because He has saved us for a purpose: To be laborers in His last day vineyard.    Kenneth Wayne Hancock [For more on this, send for my new book, The Additions to the Faith. It is free with free shipping. Send your name, mailing address, and the name of the book to my e-mail: wayneman5@hotmail.com].

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March 6, 2025 · 3:22 pm

Winning the Battles in Our Mind Field

The abiding comes after we win the mind-battles. We abide in Christ, and His Spirit dwells within us when our minds have won the thought-wars.

But it is a battle in our minds. Satan attacks our thinking. He tries to occupy our minds with trivial, physical pursuits. Christ said to not think on food, clothing, and other physical things, but look on the invisible, spiritual things.

Our spiritual growth level is determined by how much or how little of His Spirit is manifested through thinking the things that He thinks about.

Where do we get His thoughts? From studying His Word. His Word is made known in Christ. For Christ is “the Word made flesh.” He has left us a treasure trove of the Father’s thoughts. These thoughts from above make up the “whole armor of God [Spirit].” When we think on these things, we are protected from all the “fiery darts of the wicked.” We are speaking about the “mind of Christ.”

Through prayer we conquer the thoughts of the world and replace them with the King’s thoughts. This is what the spiritual war is all about. Yahweh has allowed Satan to be the “god of this world.” Satan is the “power of the air.” This “air” is the invisible highway that transports Satan’s thoughts into the minds of human beings. Worldly thoughts arise in our minds. We are at spiritual war with these.

The apostles knew of this battle. They knew it was worldly thoughts versus thoughts that are based on His Word. They knew that the armor of God would spiritually protect us, but we must put it on. We are to “put on the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11-18).

War Imagery

Brothers and sisters, we are at war with a clever, deceitful adversary, whose job it is to negate the plan and purpose of Yahweh. He thinks he can win this war by attacking the minds of God’s people. That’s why we desperately need God’s armor.

Notice the war imagery used by the apostles concerning the resistance we fight. We are commanded by Christ: “Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:5). Here thoughts are likened to prisoners of war. Thoughts not for Christ are taken captive by His Spirit of truth within us. Thoughts are captured and replaced with a thought from the mind of Christ. We have an adversary that needs to be conquered and sequestered.

God’s armor is His thoughts on these things: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Spirit, the word of God, and prayer. Study these out and think on these things, and you will “arm yourself” with Christ’s mind. When we think the thoughts that Christ thinks then all is won, and we are secure in Him.

When we do this, then He will abide, dwell and remain in us. The battle is in our minds. And we shall soon know that the mind of Christ is armor of God. We are told to “arm yourselves with the same mind of Christ. It is in the thoughts. When we think His thoughts and not what the denominations teach, then we have armed ourselves spiritually.

What is God up to?

To understand God’s vision for His creation, we must understand His law of harvest. We must comprehend His desire to reproduce Himself. We need to see that His harvest includes His Spirit totally reproduced in the humans He has chosen for this honor. It is all His doing. “Many are called, but few are chosen” by Him for the honor of fully showing forth His glory, for fully being like Him.” We need to see that Satan is attacking God’s plan when He attacks us with wayward thoughts that do not further His plan and purpose.

[If you liked this article, please share this, or any of the articles on this website. Send it in an email. Help me spread the word. I need you. Thanks]

He has promised us that if we put on the armor, that He will be our Protector. He “will never leave us nor forsake us.”

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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November 23, 2024 · 10:17 am

Guarding the Logos

As Christians, we have feelings for Christ. We see His love for us, and it touches our hearts. But do we love Him the way He desires us to? Let us learn from the Master Teacher how to love Him more deeply.

Christ said, “If a man love Me, he will keep my words” (John 14:23). Let’s dive a bit deeper. Let’s focus on the words “keep” and “words.”

“Keep” is translated from the Greek word that means “to guard from attacks.” The word “words” is translated from the word logos. This is the same “logos” used in the famous verse of John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Logos…and the Logos was God.” The logos is the mind of Christ. It is His thoughts and words of His purpose and plan.

Therefore, Christ is saying, If a man loves Me, he will guard the logos; he will guard the Word, the mind of Christ, from any assaults from the enemy. He will stand guard against any attack on His thoughts and His mind. Guarding the logos means not allowing the enemy to sully His purpose and plan.

Starting with Our Own Minds

And it starts with us. First, we must start by guarding our own minds from the attacks of the devil. This entails putting on the “whole armor of God.” We, with the Spirit’s help, must start “casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:5). This is guarding the Logos.

Since we are to have the same mind of Christ, we are to guard His thoughts that are developing within our own mind. We do this through purging and pruning away old false concepts about Him. We then begin to share the truth by the Holy Spirit. This truth is found in His thoughts concerning His kingdom.

The mind of Christ is the Logos. It is the whole plan and purpose of God. We are to guard this truth, this Logos, in our own minds and then protect it as we grow spiritually for His sake. He said, “If a man loves Me, he will keep [guard] my words [logos]…” He is saying, The person who loves Me will watch, guard and protect the Logos. He will stand watch and guard the mind of Christ. By this, we show Him our belief and dedication to His cause. This is us abiding in Him.

When we guard the Logos, then something wonderful happens. Christ says, “And My Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him” (Jn 14:23). This is God abiding in us.

First, it is us abiding in Him. This opens the door to Him abiding in us. Again, this glorious presence happens when Christ sees us guarding His logos, when He sees us “keep His words.”     

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[If you have read this article to the end, you must like the content. Please hit the like button; I’d like to know how many have read these words of truth. Yes, the Spirit is taking us into deeper living water. He did say that the Spirit of truth “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). This essay will soon become a chapter in the new book that we are working on, called The Abiding. I hope you enjoyed the preview. Meanwhile, get all crazy and make a comment or send me an email. Tell me what you think about it. Ask a question. Start a dialogue. I would love to know better the “few there be to find” life (Mat. 7:14).]

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October 28, 2023 · 11:41 am

…With Me from the Beginning

(from journal entry, 12-8-21)

It was early morning, and I was still in bed. I opened my eyes, and the first thought that crystalized out of the foggy dream mind was – “The Beginning.” The “beginning?” Why was I thinking that? Then another thought came that answered the question: “… with Me from the beginning.” With ME. I was with Christ. I knew that it was the Spirit speaking to me through thoughts. I began then to ponder these cryptic words. What did the Spirit mean?

So, I looked the word “beginning” up in the Greek. The “beginning” comes from the word arche, #G746 in Strong’s. It means “the origin, the active cause, used absolutely of the beginning of all things.”

Christ said, “I am the beginning and the end.” Christ is the “active cause.” He is our origin (Revelation 1:8-11,17-18). “In the beginning was the Word.” Christ is the beginning. Therefore, in Christ was the Word. Word = Logos [the purpose and plan of God]. Christ is the “active cause” in the creation of heaven and earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3).

Our Savior, the “Word made flesh,” came to earth to bear witness to the truth, that He is the truth. And we, too, are to bear witness to the truth because we were with Him in the beginning. Christ said, “And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27). This is not speaking of the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry. The Greek word arche is used for the beginning of all things. It is used as such in this verse: “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1).

 We are a part of the record in heaven of the things that will occur on earth. We were with him in the beginning. He knew us before because He created us as a member of His body in heaven before the earth was formed. Then He dipped us into the earth as we slid out of the matrix of our mothers’ wombs, and then we were cast out into the sea of lost mankind.

We, who had once basked in the glorious light of our Father in heaven, were now left to grow up, barely afloat in the treacherous rip tides of sin. Sin was our task master, and we obeyed his desires. The bondage to sin weighed heavily to the point of us drowning, and then we cried out in anguish and disillusionment, and then a hand reached down, a strong hand of love, and He pulled us up out of the quagmire.

He cleaned us up at the cross. He allowed us to identify our sinful selves with the Lamb, the sin sacrifice, and we died with Him. With the death of our old man, we believe that we are now buried with Him and raised with Him, now to walk in a “newness of life.” We now know and believe that “he that is dead is freed from sin.” We now spiritually step out on the water and walk in the Spirit (Rom. 6:1-11).

And then our earthly past died, and we began to grow as a seedling, tasting its first rays of light. Through study and communication with the Spirit, we grew and grew until He showed us that we had a special calling to fulfill, a special job to do. We are to share the love that saved us, by telling others the story of deliverance through His great love.

As we grow, we become a part of the witness in the earth of the record in heaven. God already knew that we would respond to His voice. He knew us and knew what we were made of. He made us, before the things we can see with our earthly eyes were made. For we were with Him in the beginning. And He has chosen us and given us a destiny way back there at the “Beginning.”

“…God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:28-30). Yahweh predestined us, not to just be saved, but to be “conformed to the image of his Son.” At Christ’s return to earth, He will change our weak, earthly body, “that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21).

We are talking about being like Christ and His apostles! Nothing less. But before this greatest of honors is bestowed upon us, we must “arm ourselves with the same mind.” We must know and do the apostles’ doctrine and add to our faith seven spiritual attributes of Christ.

We have so much knowledge to receive. Knowing His mind will finally drive out every thought that is contrary to His purpose and plan. The mind is the battlefield where we conquer the enemy’s errant desires for us. Amid the battle, it is easy to forget that we have already won, for “we are more than conquerors through Christ.” In Him lies our power, strength, and will.

O, let us shower Him with thanks for granting us the exit visa at the cross. Repentance from sin comes when we realize that we “are dead and our life is hid with Christ…” We are a part of His body now, unencumbered by that spiritually corrupt old life. We now believe that we are a part of Christ, and the Father’s heart of love dwells within us. All this happens because He mercifully allowed us to be with Him in the beginning.     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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June 17, 2022 · 10:48 am

Renewing Our Minds Changes Us

To renew our mind—how do we do it? We do it by adding Christ’s divine thoughts to our faith.

Peter tells us to “gird up the loins of your mind” (I Peter 1:13). The first item of the armor of God is to stand, “having your loins girt about with truth” (Eph. 6:14). Every Christian knows that the truth is in Christ. But the young Christian [and the old as well] has thoughts and concepts about Christ that are not Christ’s thoughts.

The apostles were writing to Christians who evidently needed to have their concepts of Christ’s gospel straightened out. Or they would not have been receiving those letters to the churches. It is the same today. The spiritual battleground is in the mind. We are led by our thoughts.

And God has given us the power to chase negative thoughts away and banish false concepts out of our minds. When our thinking has been purged and cleansed, then we will have been transformed, or changed. How is one transformed? “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [discern, reckon as genuine] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:2). We will be able to know what God’s perfect will is and how to walk in it. But our minds must be free from false doctrines. That is how the renewal begins.

Definition of Renew

To renew means “to make new again.” You mean, our minds were new once upon a time, and then they got sullied, and now they await a cleansing and a restoration to the purity they once held?

Could this “renewing of our minds” entail us thinking what Christ thought? We are admonished to let Christ’s mind be in us (Phil. 2:5). Think like Christ thinks. Let Christ’s mind be in you. You mean we must allow it to reside in us? We do this by moving out our old thoughts to make room for the new thoughts, which are Christ’s thoughts, thoughts that require faith/belief.

So what did he think about?  He thought of the invisible heavenly things, not the things consumed by the five senses. “Take no thought for your life,” your visible earthly life (Matt. 6:25-31). He was submissive to the father in all things and taught us to do the same. In so doing, he was humble, giving glory and praise to the Father.

We must “let” His mind take over our mind. To do this we must know the plan and purpose of God. Christ always said, “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). He always did those things that pleased the Father.

Knowing the true plan and purpose of God is a big chore, but what is bigger is eliminating the old desires we had for our lives– our plans and schemes, our dreams for our own little futures. And they are little “compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.”  Our old lives are but “dung” compared to eternally being at His side.

The Cross

Christ always taught His followers to repent from sin. This is the first step in getting rid of the false concepts about Christ. It is the cross that puts to death our old sinful selves, along with its desires, and enables us to “be raised to walk in a newness of life.” This shows us where our old thoughts were leading us and where the thoughts of God now bid us come.

First, we must get to that place of submission. We must leave the old life at the cross and take on Christ’s mission, which is establishing His Kingdom of love and righteousness throughout the earth and sharing his throne with his elect. That takes much study and prayer.

All this is for those human beings who renew their minds with Christ’s thoughts and are changed from selfish sinners into compassionate monarchs, soon ruling with Christ in His Kingdom right here upon earth. “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne…” (Rev. 3:21).

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June 16, 2021 · 12:29 pm

New Book, The Eleventh Commandment, Is Back from the Printer

Free promotional copies—with free shipping—are now available to all who ask. Just send your request to my email: wayneman5@hotmail.com. Include your name, mailing address, and the title of the book. Overseas requests will receive a pdf of the book.

Here is what to expect in the book: The premise is that Christ gave us another huge commandment—the eleventh. He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). This commandment has been hiding from us in plain sight. But in it He commands us to do something that is impossible for most people—to love like Christ and in so doing to be like Christ. Nobody believes that anyone can actually do that.

Because of its difficulty, the Spirit has given us many easier to obey imperatives. Like, “Forgive.” That is something we can accomplish. Forgiving is a facet of loving each other the way that Christ loved us. God’s love flows through us when we forgive another. This helps us to obey Christ’s eleventh commandment. Christ forgave us; now we, to be like Him, forgive each other.

The book shares a dozen of these easier-to-obey commandments, like “put on the armor of God” and pray like Christ prayed, to name a few.   This is how we fulfill God’s purpose in us, which is this: God is reproducing Himself—in us.

Order your copy now of this Spirit inspired knowledge. May He bless you on your journey back to His heart.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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April 29, 2020 · 2:44 pm

From My “Beginning” to THE BEGINNING

I say, “In the beginning was the ________________.”

And you say, “Word.”

And I say, “Right. The Word is in the beginning. The Word is the beginning.”

Many confuse God’s initial call on their life as the end all, be all. And they keep going back to those first experiences when God made Himself real to them. I know because God gave me wonderful revelations while I was a stark raving sinner. While others were seeing imaginary pink elephants and purple paisley wall coverings visually melting, I was seeing the oneness of God and how we should all be living together and loving each other. I called these experiences my Jesus trips.

And I held on to them as my life became unbearable because I was unbearable. In fact, one of the revelations became my sign: The old self had to die. This began my search for the truth. And I vowed that I would follow the philosophy or religion that could teach me the death of self.

For I was studying all the religions at the time. And none of them could tell me how the old selfish ego dies—until I heard the answer from this preacher who had just set up a Missionary Training Center in East Texas twenty miles from where I was visiting my mother and stepfather. I had no idea that the Bible would give me my sign. But there it was all along. The preacher taught from Romans 6, where the Spirit through Paul speaks about how our old man is crucified with Christ.

My early experiences were preparing me for the day when I would meet my mentor who would teach me the intricacies of being crucified with Christ. But at first I held on to those original experiences. I wanted to stay at my “beginning.” I did not fully realize that God reveals things to us—wondrous things—as a way to call us out of darkness. But that initial calling is not Him choosing us to be like His Son. Those that are chosen by Him to be in His first fruits company of manifested sons and daughters must go into basic and then advanced training. I learned from my mentor that there was so much more knowledge than those first experiences that God used to call me out of darkness.

Yes, they are wonderful experiences where He shows us a glimpse of what our walk here on earth can be. Those experiences were our alarm clock that woke us up to the fact that God is very real. And it is not that we are to totally forget those experiences. But we are to use them to get to the real purpose that He has for us. They are the first stepping stones that lead us across the creek. If we keep going back to that first stepping stone, we will never get to our destination, our destiny in Him. The objective and purpose of the stones is to get across. We are not to stay on the first stone and admire its attributes.

­­­­Remaining in our past, in the “beginning” of our new existence with God, will never help us to grow to be like Christ and His early apostles. We need to speak what they spoke. They “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine. They spoke the words of Christ’s teachings (Acts 2: 42; Heb. 6: 1-2). They spoke of God’s purpose, and His plan to fulfill His purpose. This purpose of reproducing Himself in us will not be found in our “beginning,” in our initial experiences when God was calling us out of darkness. His purpose will only be found in THE BEGINNING—Him and His words. If we are to ever be counted as one of God’s future kings, sitting alongside the King Himself, we must realize that it is all about “His beginning.” He must take pre-eminence in our thinking.

“In the beginning was the Word.” Our King Yahshua is the Word. In Him are all of the Father’s details and plans to accomplish His purpose. And we can only get to where He desires us to be by studying Him, the Word.

We must study His plan to know it inside and out. What future king worth his salt does not prepare himself through studying his father’s will for the kingdom? The apostle Paul was clear on this: “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3: 13-14).

How do we change our words and speak of His purpose and plan? “We” cannot get it done. It will be the Spirit of Truth abiding in us that will change our speech from our “beginning” to The Beginning. The Spirit of Truth is the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Christ promised to send Him to us. The Spirit of Truth is our guide into all truth. His presence in us insures that we will not speak about ourselves. When He abides/remains/stays in us, He will take over our words that will only speak from the mind of Christ (John 16: 13).

Someone will say, “Well, what should I talk about then?” Study out His vision of sonship and share it with others. Share about His soon coming Kingdom. Learn the apostles’ doctrine and give it to others. Study out true repentance in Romans 6. That is the message for new followers, not our initial experiences. It is not about “us.” It is about Christ and His vision for us all. Study out the armor of God and teach it to others. Study out the Father’s purpose and plan to fulfill His purpose.

Finally, my brothers and sisters, feed His lambs and sheep. Not with old manna that was good for the purpose of calling you out of darkness. Feed them with the hidden manna that the Spirit of truth channels through us to others. Thank Him for those initial experiences and for the change He has made in your life. And then thank Him for the truth, for Christ is the truth, and He is the Word that was from the beginning (I John 1: 1; John 1: 1). kwh

[All these things and more are explained in my books—The Apostles’ Doctrine, The Royal Destiny of God’s Elect, The Unveiling of the Sons of God, and Yah Is Savior. They are free with free shipping. To order one of the books: https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com/donate/ ]

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