September 21, 2025 · 10:04 am

Beware of the Prosperity Doctrine

The prosperity doctrine is everywhere. It’s like a spiritual virus floating in the ether. That means that all of us should watch out that we are not infected by this insidious doctrine. Some will say, “Well, I don’t follow those TV evangelists who promote the prosperity doctrine.” That’s a good start. But just examine your prayers. See if they are petitions for material things instead of spiritual things.

God spoke about this false doctrine through the prophets of old. He allowed false teachers to bring in terrible heresies. And one of them is “supposing that gain is godliness,” or the prosperity doctrine.

A good example is found in John 6:26, where Christ tells the people that they are only seeking Him to get material things, things like the earthly bread He provided for them. They did not seek Him because of the spiritual miracles that He had performed. They wanted earthly bread, things for their own earthly life, not spiritual things.

Nothing Has Changed

And so it goes today. The masses have been lured into the prosperity doctrine. This doctrine teaches them to “Get all you can get from God.” Get more money, houses, cars, phones. Get anything in this 3-D material world.

“God wants you to prosper!” the preacher will tell them. All you must do is give to this ministry, and God will pour out a blessing to you one hundredfold! More money than you know what to do with!” This is a perversion of the spiritual law of harvest. The 100-fold that Christ promises in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 is spiritual increase, not the earthly increase of things in the third dimension.

These purveyors of material prosperity promote God as a genie, who is there to meet all their wants and needs. They do not exalt God who has a plan for those who trust Him.

They will quote III John 2: “I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health…” The false teachers usually stop there and don’t quote the rest of the passage: “… even as your soul prospers.” The apostle John makes it clear in all his writings that it is the spiritual things and not the material things that we should seek. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things [earthly things] shall be added unto you,” Christ said.

These false shepherds promise prosperity and charitable blessings to the flock yet leave them trapped in their sin. While portraying themselves as benefactors, they funnel millions into their own ministries. They preach abundance but fail to lead the sheep to the cross—where true transformation begins, and the old sinful nature is surrendered in exchange for a life led by the Spirit.

Instead of guiding the flock toward God’s eternal purpose, these shepherds appeal to the carnal instincts like self-gratification and material desire. They encourage the sheep to chase worldly gain, rather than walk the narrow path of truth and glory that leads to redemption.

This teaching reflects what Scripture warns against—“perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, who suppose that gain is godliness” (1 Timothy 6:5-6). It promotes the idea that material wealth is evidence of divine favor, suggesting that if you’re prosperous as a Christian, it’s proof that God is actively blessing your life. Furthermore, it claims that by supporting or participating in their ministry, you too will become wealthy because you’re advancing God’s work. Such a doctrine is deeply misleading and spiritually dangerous. We are clearly instructed to turn away from those who preach it. It is not of God—it is a deception born of darkness.

The prosperity doctrine is insidious and evil, for it seems so right, and yet, it ultimately leads to destruction. “There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end thereof is the way of death.”

The followers of Christ need to take heed because “many have been slain by her.”

What are  your beliefs concerning these sheep in wolves clothing and how they operate in the 21st century? Leave a comment.

[And please forgive me for being “out of touch” lately. I have been dealing with roadblocks in the material world, like building and moving to a new retirement home. No stairs to climb but having trouble finding anything. Hitting a bit of writer’s block for the first time in 28 years. I asked our Savior the other day, “What do you want me to do? Immediately, as fast as a ray of light, this thought crystalized and came back saying, “Tell them who I AM.” I will endeavor to do that.] kwh

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August 13, 2025 · 10:47 am

No Rapture–Further Proof

Many Christians believe that God, in His love and mercy, would not allow His true followers to endure the suffering of the Great Tribulation. They reason that Christ’s redemptive work exempts believers from such hardship. However, this view is challenged by a deeper look at Scripture and historical precedent, which emphasize God’s sovereignty and His consistent dealings with humanity.
God’s Unchanging Nature and Sovereignty
Scripture affirms that God does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8) and that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8). Human reasoning often assumes that God would spare His people from suffering, but this is man’s logic, not divine truth. Proverbs 14:12 warns that what seems right to man may lead to death. Therefore, understanding God’s actions in history is key to discerning His plans for the future.
Misconceptions About Divine Protection
Some argue that God always removes His people before judgment falls. This idea is refuted by biblical examples where the righteous suffered alongside the wicked. The seals in Revelation 6, opened by Christ Himself, unleash war, famine, and death—events that have historically affected Christians. For instance, thousands of American Christians died in World War II, a conflict seen as part of the unfolding of these seals.
Revelation’s Seals and Christian Suffering
The fifth seal (Rev. 6:9–11) reveals martyred souls crying out for justice, and they are told to wait until more believers are killed. The sixth seal brings catastrophic natural disasters, prompting even the powerful to seek refuge from God’s wrath. This connects to Jesus’ warning to the women of Jerusalem (Luke 23:28–30), where He foretells suffering for children during future tribulation—again, directed at His followers.
Tribulation and the Elect
Matthew 24 speaks directly of the Great Tribulation, noting that unless those days are shortened, no flesh would survive. Yet, for the elect’s sake, God will intervene. This is evidence that God’s chosen ones will indeed be present during the Tribulation, enduring its trials alongside the rest of humanity.
Historical and Scriptural Evidence
Ezekiel 21 offers proof that God’s judgment can fall on both the righteous and the wicked. During Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon, even faithful believers perished. Psalm 44 and Romans 8:36 also portray God’s people as “sheep for the slaughter,” suffering despite their faithfulness. These passages affirm that suffering is not incompatible with divine favor.
The Rapture: A Modern Invention
The concept of the rapture is challenged as a relatively modern idea, unknown to the early church and reportedly originating from a 19th-century dream. Scripture does not support a pre-tribulation escape for believers. Instead, God’s plan calls His people to endure, trusting in His sovereignty and ultimate justice.

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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July 21, 2025 · 10:27 am

Seek First the Kingdom of the Spirit

Chapter 7 of My New Book: The Abiding

Christ urged us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” establishing a foundational precept for spiritual maturity and abiding. But what is this Kingdom? And where do we find it?

Scripture reveals that God is Spirit (John 4:24), and so His Kingdom must be spiritual as well—an invisible dimension not of this world, whose god is presently Satan. Thus, the Kingdom of God is not material, nor constrained by our five senses. It is a realm that “cometh not with observation” (Luke 17:20) but is “within you,” dwelling in the sanctum of the heart.

The phrase “Kingdom of God” has been diluted through overuse and denominational variation. While traditionally understood as “God’s Kingdom”—a realm belonging to Him—it can also be understood, linguistically and scripturally, as a kingdom comprised of Spirit. Just as “a wall of stone” describes a wall made of stone, “Kingdom of God” declares a government made of Spirit, led by a sovereign Spirit Being.

We are commanded to seek this unseen kingdom—the invisible government of God. It is not confined to temples or earthly forms of worship. True worship is not performed with buildings, rituals, or material offerings. It is an intimate, unseeable communion between our spirit and the Eternal Creator. “The flesh profits nothing; it is the spirit that gives life” (John 6:63). The essence of abiding lies in this deep spiritual connection.

Only those born from above—born of the Spirit—can perceive and enter this dimension (John 3:3-6). The narrow gate through which we enter is Christ Himself: “I am the door of the sheep… whoever enters through Me shall be saved” (John 10:7-9). This entry point begins the process of purification—where old concepts of God are stripped away, and faith becomes sight in the Spirit.

Prayer becomes our vessel into this kingdom. It reaches beyond the veil, into the heavenly dimension where miracles and spiritual battles unfold. Belief is the transport. We are not guided by sight, but by faith—believing before seeing.

The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of the Spirit: invisible, yet near; eternal, yet now. The Holy Spirit is the breath of this heavenly domain, and those who seek Yahweh “while He may be found” will discover the gate, the truth, and the life.

Even now, His followers are being tested. “Fiery trials” refine faith, preparing us for entry into the realm that awaits beyond the narrow gate. As the apostle declared: “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:27).

Here is The Abiding’s central message: the transformative power of abiding in Christ as the pathway to spiritual maturity, union, and divine oneness.

Abiding Begins with Seeking

The abiding life begins with an awakened hunger—to seek first the Kingdom not built by hands but drawn from Spirit. Christ’s invitation to abide is not passive—it is a call to pursue, with intensity, the invisible realm where divine communion unfolds. The Kingdom of the Spirit is not a reward for earthly effort, but the spiritual birthplace of all abiding.

The Gate to Oneness

To abide is to pass through Christ—the narrow gate—and dwell in the unseen realm. It is here, in the Kingdom made of Spirit, that the Son draws us into the Father’s presence. We are not spectators in this Kingdom; we are transformed participants, being shaped in the oneness of Yahweh and Christ. The Spirit is both door and dimension.

The Spirit Over Flesh

Abiding requires departure from the visible and tangible. The flesh profits nothing. Material religion cannot usher us in. True abiding is spiritual worship—truthful, unseen, relational. It is the invisible rhythm of connection, where abiding becomes encounter. This Kingdom is not distant—it is within. It is the heart awakened by the Spirit.

Purification in Union

Faith is the chisel that removes false constructs. Belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ initiates the inward resurrection—where abiding is made possible by purification. As old leaven is cast out, abiding becomes an active dwelling in the Spirit’s government. Our trials refine us not merely for entrance—but for union.

Finding Him Where He Is

To abide is to seek Yahweh where He may be found—in His own dimension, invisible yet near. Just as John touched, saw, and heard the Word made flesh, we too will know Him. For abiding leads to intimacy. The Son abides in the Father, and those who walk through the gate will abide also. This Kingdom is not merely theological—it is our promised home.

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July 11, 2025 · 3:05 pm

The Longing That Leads to Love—and the King Who Calls

Humanity’s endless quest for love is no accident. Beneath every poem, song, and search for human connection lies a deeper yearning—for God Himself. For “God is love” (I John 4:16). We seek echoes of Him in others, because we were made in His image, wired to respond to His divine presence. The search ends when He is found.

The Hebrew prophets and apostles testified of this love. The Son of God didn’t merely speak of it—He lived it out. By laying down His life for His friends, He offered the greatest love known to mankind (John 15:13). But the Cross was not the end. It was the invitation. For those who believe, Christ calls us to present our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1)—not as martyrs for heaven’s reward, but as vessels of love to a love-starved world.

Dying to Self, Rising in Love

To walk as He walked begins at Calvary. Spiritually joining Him on the cross means our old nature dies with Him: “He that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:7). This rebirth isn’t mere symbolism. It’s a transformation—freedom from the selfish life, entering into resurrection power fueled by agape love. Believing we are buried and raised with Him enables us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4–5).

Yet many falter. Not because His power is lacking, but because corrupted doctrines and traditions stunt growth. Like children fed on spiritual junk food, many resist the sincere truth of the Word. They cling to old wine, declaring it better—unwilling to taste the new, pure doctrine (Luke 5:39).

The Overcomers…and the Tragedy of the Refusers

Thankfully, some will awaken. God has called a remnant, foreknown and chosen to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). They’ll answer the high calling, decreasing so Christ can increase within them, becoming the vessels through which divine love touches all people.

But not everyone will respond. Scripture warns of those who recoil from the truth, buried in comfort, traditions, or fear. Consider the five foolish virgins—shut out from the wedding feast, unprepared for the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1–13). Or the servant who hid his talent in the ground, scolded as “slothful and unprofitable” by the returning Master (Matthew 25:26). These are not mere metaphors; they are solemn realities.

Those who reject the call to spiritual growth will not mature into love. They will not reign. They will remain infants—content, perhaps, but barren of the fruit that restores righteousness to a broken world. What Christ seeks is a people who will reflect Him fully, expressing divine love that heals, redeems, and incarnates God once again on earth.

Answering the Highest Call

We are living in the days of the latter rain—His Spirit is being poured out. Will we remain near the nursery, or rise to sit with Him on His throne? (Revelation 3:21). Agape love is the bond of perfectness, the final attribute that completes us in Christ. Those who cultivate it will reign. Those who resist it, according to scripture, will be left behind—not out of spite, but because they rejected the very path that leads to transformation.

I believe that we will grow to be His sons and daughters, His lights shining into the deepest, darkest dungeons of the earth: To “bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” [Think spiritually. Isaiah 61:1].

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June 29, 2025 · 8:40 am

Eyes on the Harvest

  1. The Sower’s Longing

God’s eyes are ever on His harvest. This is not simply a season—it is His will unfolding across time. He sows with the end in mind: a mature people, ready to be gathered. Are our eyes aligned with His?

Just as the farmer treasures the yield of his field, God watches with divine patience for the maturity of His Word within hearts. The Bible is a record of this great sowing—the planting of promises, prophecies, and purpose.

Be patient… until it receives the early and latter rain (James 5:7).

2. Maturity Marks the Time

The harvest is not about numbers—it’s about readiness. Maturity. Fruit that bears the nature of the Seed. In this “time of the end,” we are witnessing the crop coming to full ripeness.

The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels (Matthew 13:39).

These aren’t ominous words. They’re hopeful. They point to transformation—souls shaped in the image of Christ.

3. The First Fruits Rise

Like ears of corn ripening early, some sons and daughters awaken to maturity ahead of the field. These are the first fruits—the ones formed not just to arrive but to labor. To reap.

From the prophets of old to the hundredfold elect of today, these forerunners bear the burden and the glory of calling others in.

They without us should not be made perfect (Hebrews 11:40).

4. The Call to Labor

Christ’s command echoes now more than ever:

Pray ye therefore the Lord… that He would send forth laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2).

The time of the latter rain is not only about power—it is about purpose. God is activating His mature ones to gather the rest. Millions will come. And the world, weary as it is, will see the glory of ripened faith.

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June 13, 2025 · 12:15 pm

God’s Will Is His Harvest: The Call of the Reapers

Introduction: Aligning with the Father’s Desire
Christ’s spiritual sustenance—His source of strength—is found in doing the will of the Father (John 4:34). This divine will, His ultimate desire, is centered on one crucial purpose: the harvest of souls. He calls us to partake in this sacred labor, drawing from the spiritual seeds sown throughout history.

We, His chosen laborers, are not the first to work the fields—we stand upon the work of the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. They faithfully scattered Yahweh’s seed, looking toward a promise they would not live to see fulfilled. Now, at the time of the harvest, Christ sends reapers to complete the task. What does it mean to answer that call?

The Father’s Desire: The Time of the Harvest

Christ unveils the essence of the Father’s will—to ensure the final harvest takes place. “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). The process of sowing and reaping, spoken of throughout scripture, reveals a spiritual truth: each generation lays the foundation for the next.

  • The patriarchs and prophets sowed truth, awaiting the promised redemption.
  • The apostles laid the groundwork, ushering in the New Covenant.

  We stand today as reapers, called to gather the final harvest of souls.

Christ clarifies that reaping is not separate from sowing, but rather a continuation of divine labor. “One sows and another reaps” (John 4:37). Each era has its appointed role. The saints of old, though faithful, did not see the full fruit of their labor. They await a final group—God’s elect, chosen to bring in the harvest of the last days.

End-Time Reapers: A Special Calling

A remarkable aspect of Christ’s teaching is that the Father has already chosen His reapers—those He will guide, protect, and empower. “And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me, but raise them up at the last day” (John 6:39-40).

This calling is not random nor based on personal merit—it is an appointment of divine purpose.

  • Reapers are sent by Christ Himself (“I sent you to reap what you have not worked for” – John 4:38).
  • They labor in a darkened world, shining forth as sons and daughters of God.
  • They walk under divine protection, just as the faithful before them were spared from destruction.

Recognizing this calling brings clarity to our prayers. Many ask, What is God’s will for my life?—yet Christ has already answered: Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send more laborers into the fields (Matthew 9:38). This is the heartbeat of Christ’s mission—the urgency behind His ministry.

Answering the Call: The Responsibility of the Chosen

If God has chosen us, then our duty is clear. He has equipped His reapers to walk alongside Him, sharing in His compassionate mission to bring souls into His Kingdom. This is not merely knowledge—it is action.

  • Are we willing to step into the labor set before us?
  • Will we align our prayers with Christ’s own request—that more workers be raised up?
  • Will we allow God to shape us into faithful reapers, prepared for the final harvest?

We now understand His will. The question remains—how will we respond?

Conclusion: A Prayer for Laborers
Now that we know exactly what His will is, we can confidently communicate with Him about His harvest. If we desire answered prayers, we must align with His purpose.

“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14) Lord, raise up Your laborers. Let none be lost. Strengthen the reapers for the fields ahead. May we walk in Your desire, fulfilling Your work, as faithful servants in the greatest harvest of all time.

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June 2, 2025 · 12:24 pm

Come before His Presence with Thanksgiving

 How to Start the Day

The Spirit through the apostle Paul said, “We live, move, and have our being in Him.” We live in the Spirit. We move in the Spirit, and we have our being in the Spirit.

Now Yahweh is that invisible Spirit, and He tells us that we do indeed live, move, and derive our very being in Him. We are literally in his presence!

Now, what do we do? The Spirit urges us to approach His presence with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2). Our part is to thank Him for the privilege of knowing Him. Give thanks. Thank Him for delivering us from sin and the dreadful selfish path we once trod.

Thank you, Father. Thank you for my wife, children and grandchildren. Thank you for my spiritual family. Thank you for revealing and unveiling your plan to us. Thank you for your Kingdom. Thank you for the wondrous things You have done for us.

Our study of His promises reveals many reasons for gratitude, beyond food and clothing. Christ assured us these needs are met and seeks our faith in His words about spiritual growth.

God is this invisible Spirit. He has said that He is in, around, and through us. This one thing we then need: We need to believe what He has said. “Abide in me, and I in you.” We just need to believe Him. He believes it. Now, if we just believe that He lives and dwells in us, He will manifest himself in and through us. Belief adds the additions to the faith, all the way to manifesting His nature through us! This one thing we can be sure of: If we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us. He will come to us if we will but believe Him.

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June 1, 2025 · 10:44 am

The Will of God Revisited

   God’s will is His wish, His desire.  And whatever the Creator wants done in His universe, that is exactly what will come to pass.  And we, His royal offspring, should make it our life’s goal to find out what the King’s will is and do it. 

     But it’s a great mystery finding out exactly what God’s will is.  The word, “will,” is an overused word that has as many meanings as there are denominations.  His wish, His desire, His will is like a mighty invisible river that flows from His heart throughout the earth.  He is the cause of all things; His desire causes His vision for His universe to come to pass.  Nothing can stop His will from being done.  Nothing can stop Him from accomplishing what He has set out to do.  The King will make his wishes reality.

     As his royal offspring, we need to study His immutable word to find out just what His will is.  For if we have a purpose or desire or wish in this life on earth that is not His desire or wish or will, then we will feel thwarted and blocked.  Nothing will work out.  Futility will haunt our endeavors.  All the pleasures of this world will seem “cold, stale and unprofitable.”  It will be “all is vanity and  vexation of spirit” if we are out of His will.  It will be as if we are paddling a canoe upstream.  We thrash about in life, working so hard at what we believe is the best direction to take, and yet we are working against the current.  And that current is His will/desire/wish.

     So, what exactly is God’s will–not just for our lives, but for this life here on earth?  God desires to reproduce Himself.  So much so that in the end, “Christ is all in all,” according to the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.  In fact, all his letters ring out this truth:

“It’s no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me…”

“Christ in you, the hope of glory…”

“Bringing many sons (and daughters) unto glory…”

“That you might be filled with all the fulness of God…”

“Perfecting of the saints…”  And many other passages too numerous to mention in this article.

     God’s will is to magnify Himself, to multiply Himself into a spiritual body of many sons and daughters.  Everyone and everything is either flowing with the stream of God’s wish and desire or they are struggling in vain against it.  Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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May 20, 2025 · 8:10 am

“Husbands, Don’t Be Bitter toward Your Wife”

(Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a Seer.  I Samuel 9: 9)

I barely had enough time to sit down, and before I had spoken a word, the Seer asked, “Troubles with the wife?”

“Yes.  How did you know?”

“The Spirit, if your heart is attuned, picks up on these things.  It’s really not difficult to discern because ‘all things come alike to all.’  We all come up the same way” [1].

“My wife is always bringing me down.  It’s frustrating.  I’ll get a wonderful revelation about God, and I am so enthused, and I try to share it with her, and all she has to say is, ‘Yeah, that’s great, but would you help me, please?  Could you do something around here?  Help straighten up the house.   Check on the kids.’   Things like that.”

The Seer just looked at me as if looking through a window at the wind blowing through a white oak tree.  “We on our spiritual walk back to the Father’s heart must not get too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good.”

I looked at him as if he were speaking Chinese.  “What?  What do you mean?”

“It is all about taking the heavenly things like love and mercy, and putting them into action here on earth.  Christ did it and then taught it” [2].

“She makes me mad,” I continued.  “It’s like she deliberately throws on me all this negativity, like a wet blanket.  Instead of rejoicing with me, she just smothers me.  I try to correct her and get her to stop, but that just sets her off and we start fussing and fighting.”

“Oh, you mustn’t try to stop her,” the Seer said.  “Goodness, no.  Never try to prevent someone from doing God’s will.”

“God’s will?”  I asked.  “A wife so earthly minded that she can’t get past the pots and pans and diapers is doing God’s will?”

“They are your pots and pans and your children’s clothes.  Let me explain what is spiritually happening.  God Himself has created your wife exactly the way she is in every respect.  He has made her to be your absolute complement.  She, with all her faults and all her many unappreciated virtues , is exactly what the Great Physician ordered–for you and your perfection.”

“My perfection?” I asked.

“She’s your help meet, isn’t she?” [3].

“Yes.”

“Well, then, she is being a good help meet because she’s helping you meet God.  Look.  She is merely speaking what is in the script written by God–as if He had with a thoughtful quill inked upon her DNA the lines she speaks to help you mature spiritually.  And her reactions to you and her ‘negative’ comments to you about your ways are all ordained, scribed, and orchestrated by God to get a rise out of you.”

“It does that,” I said.  “But she should be honoring her husband and not putting him down all the time.”

“You don’t need a wife that praises your every word or whim.  That would not bring you to perfection.  In fact, it would ruin you for God’s purposes.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“You see,” the Seer continued, “You have many faults that must be purged out of your life before full spiritual maturity comes.  God uses wives to help us grow from a babe in Christ to a young man.  A ‘woman shall be saved in child bearing’ [4].  She not only rears your earthly children, but also helps to rear the spiritual child of God in her life–you, her husband.  She cannot change the way she has been created.  She is saying exactly what the Father has entrusted her to say to you.”

“It just makes me mad,” I said.

“There.  Right there in that thought–that unjust anger is an example of the kind of things that God desires to erase out of your life.  And your wife will continue to bring it out–not to be mean, as you suppose.  She has to.  She doesn’t even realize that God is using her for the purpose of burning out the dross that lurks around your new faith.  Yet, she will continue saying her lines as a faithful player on the stage of life–until you get it.”

“Get what?” I asked, still not understanding the depth of the matter.

“When you finally understand these words I’ve spoken and believed them–then you will have gained several precious life lessons.  Number one.  That God is totally sovereign and in complete control.  He uses anyone and anything He desires to effect a change in one of His chosen ones–one of His elect sons of God.  Two.  God’s ways are not our ways.  We would not perfect us the way He does.  We would much rather sit in the sunshine munching Oreos as the way to make big changes in our life.  Third.  We need to be grateful for God’s love to us.  He has chosen us as His offspring.  He did not have to pick us to reveal Himself in us.  So, just be grateful for your wife and don’t be bitter towards her [5].  God is using her to do a great work in you.”

“It doesn’t seem so great right now,” I said.

“When you receive this truth that I’ve shared with you, you won’t get angry and frustrated with her.  You’ll know the truth that it is all God’s doing, flowing out from His heart of love.  Right now you are buffeted for your own faults [6].  What will you do when you are persecuted unjustly?”

“I don’t know.”

“When it happens, just know that it is still God doing His work of perfection in you.”  The Seer paused.  “But, enough of this now.  Tell me.  What is you wife’s favorite candy bar?”

“Almond Hershey.”

“Tell you what.  Go buy her one.  And with no fanfare, hand it to her and tell her that you love her.”

I did what He said.  And that little gesture generated a smile on her face that said, “He understands.”  But all I understood that day was the magic of chocolate.  She would receive several Almond Hersheys throughout the years.  But it would take decades for me to finally understand and appreciate the message he gave me that day.       Kenneth Wayne Hancock

  1. Eccle. 9: 2
  2. Acts 1: 1
  3. Gen. 2: 18
  4. I Tim. 2: 15
  5. Col. 3: 19
  6. I Peter 2: 20

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May 8, 2025 · 7:53 am

The Anointing, the Abiding, the Additions

Before we can receive God’s indwelling Spirit, we must understand three crucial concepts found in scripture: the anointing, the additions, and the abiding.

We learned earlier that Christ has given us several new commandments regarding what we need to do. One of these is to “purge out the old leaven.” Christ warns us five times to beware of the old leaven, which represents the sins, falsehoods, untruths, and errors in the teachings of old man Adam.

Old leaven symbolizes mankind’s sinful nature and the misleading concepts that lead to spiritual death. Understanding sin and its removal through Christ’s crucifixion is essential. Dying with Christ and believing in His resurrection allows us to live anew in Him. When we believe that He rose from the dead after three days and three nights, we also believe that we have risen with Him. His faith becomes our faith in Him.

The abiding of us in His Spirit and His Spirit in us happens through our reckoning it so (Rom. 6:11). The abiding is Christ’s life “made manifest in our mortal flesh.” By faith in His word and His promises, we acknowledge it to be as He says. We may count it done because He has decreed it accomplished.

Christ instructs us to purge out the old leaven to receive God’s anointing, as His word is truth. After our spiritual death and resurrection with Him (Romans 6:1-12), we still carry faults and errors—seeds of old leaven. As we begin, through His strength, to eliminate these false teachings, Christ starts to anoint us. This spiritual anointing is truth (I John 2:27). Christ’s Spirit takes up residence in us gradually—not all at once—as we get rid of erroneous concepts and abide in Him.

The Anointing:

God anoints prepared vessels who have purged out the old leaven, which symbolizes falsehoods. When we purge the old leaven teachings, God will anoint us with more truth. By us eliminating falsehoods, God reveals more and more truths to us. We must remember that it’s the “unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Christ’s words are truth. He said, “Thy word is truth…I am the way, the truth and the life.” And this word (Logos) is the precept of Oneness. We heard it at the beginning, before anything else existed; we dwelled in Him and He in us. It’s “the word which ye have heard from the beginning.” That word is the Oneness of Agape Love—us in Him and He in us all.

It is the oneness of the Father in the Son, and this truth abides in us; we are members of the Son’s body. The anointing = the truth = the Holy Spirit of Truth = God. The additions to the faith are seven facets of God’s divine nature to be added to the Son’s faith that we now have (II Peter 1:1-12).

All of the above are the steps He has laid out to fulfill His purpose: To reproduce Himself—in us.

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