Let Him say it, only using your own voice:
“I will come to you.”
Now go to a mirror and look deeply into His eyes
[For they are His now],
And let Him whisper through your lips this promise:
“I will come to you.”
Our Death and Resurrection with Christ—The Power of God
Our Death and Resurrection with Christ—The Power of God
The Savior told Paul, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Cor. 12:9). There is nothing weaker than dying on the cross. But the cross is proclaimed as “the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18). How does that work?
By placing our old nature and mind on the cross, we acknowledge our weakness and helplessness apart from God’s strength. In doing so, we renounce our carnal powers, declaring through this act: We are nothing, and He is everything.
This is the supreme paradox. By submitting to the death of our old selves, we admit our utter vanity and worthlessness without our Creator, Father, and Savior. This act of negation is the first step toward aligning our thoughts with His. For He views us in our unregenerated state as nothing: “In me dwells no good thing… all things are meaningless, a chasing after the wind…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 7:18; Ecc. 1:4; Rom. 3:23).
Recognizing our spiritual ineptitude, we come to Yahweh-in-human-form, the fountain of life, from whom flows the water of true, eternal life. Yet the path to life is through death—a paradox. Only by the death of our selfish hearts can we enter His Spirit-filled life. We must remember Christ’s words: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:24).
Through faith, we trust in His resurrection—not only His, but also our own. We believe that, just as He was raised, we too are raised to walk in newness of life. This faith energizes us to receive His Spirit, which transforms our hearts. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom. 6:4 NIV).
And transformed we are! The hand that once stole steals no more—not by our own strength but through His Spirit. By relinquishing our old lives, we take on His life. This miraculous change is the power of the cross—the death, burial, and resurrection shared with Christ. As Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
God’s power is life from death. He establishes life where none existed, calling “those things that are not as though they are.” This revelation is vital. It is through overcoming this paradox—life emerging from death—that we are delivered from the inevitability of physical death.
This is the way to salvation, the way to life, the way to an immortal spiritual body that He has promised us. It all flows from understanding, believing, and enacting this profound truth: eternal life out of death.
Kenneth Wayne Hancock [From a journal entry dated May 4, 2001. By liking, sharing, commenting, and subscribing, you attest to these writings, that they come by the Spirit of truth. May God bless you all]
Filed under cross, crucified with Christ, death, death of self
Truth Cannot Nest in the Thorns of Falsehood
The Son approaches the hour of sacrifice,
His steps nearing the cross, heavy with the world’s weight.
The disciples, fragile hearts, shaken,
Are cloaked in sorrow, like a dim twilight descending.
Yet, He speaks, tender as a father to his children,
“My little ones, I am with you only a while longer.”
And then, the command like a flame passed from torch to torch:
“Love one another, as I have loved you,
So you, too, must love.”
Feast no longer on His love alone;
Drink deeply from the wellspring of the Spirit,
The Father, alive in Him, who works through Him.
“Believe,” He pleads, “that the Father is in Me,
And you shall do greater things, for I go to Him.”
A promise takes flight, soaring on the breath of His words:
“Keep My commands, and whatever you ask in My name, it shall be.”
But first, the name—the sacred name—and all it holds,
Its weight, its wonder, its truth.
Again, He returns, a shepherd calling to His flock:
“If you love Me, obey what I command.”
Obedience, the root from which love springs,
And to the faithful, the Counselor comes—forever,
The Spirit of truth, eternal and pure.
Yet truth cannot nest in the thorns of falsehood,
Cannot take root in soil tainted by error.
All must be purged, all misconceptions cast to the wind.
“Believe,” He urges, “that the Father is in Me,
And I in Him. We are One.”
Oneness—a Spirit that breathes life into all,
The Creator, the Holy, pouring Himself
Into fragile flesh, the Savior of mankind.
All that denies this truth must wither and fall,
Pruned by the Gardener’s hand.
And He ends as He began:
“Believe Me when I say, the Father lives in Me.
Through Me, He works miracles.
Obey, and believe,
For Yah is One,
The Holy One of all who trust in Him.”
The words echo, a melody to be sung
Until hearts and minds are free from chains of error,
And truth shines unclouded,
Forever.
Filed under agape, Christ, oneness, spiritual growth, Spiritual Life Cycle, Yahshua, Yahweh
The Two Abidings: Us in Him and He in Us
We have a saying: “I am in.” It means “I am with you. I support you in your endeavor. I got your back.”
This statement is a good example of one of the two “abidings” that we see in God’s word. Christ commands us: “Abide in Me.” Christ continues, “and I in you.” Two abidings.
Notice the order of the two abidings. Us in Christ, and then, Christ in us. We must first get our minds and thoughts in line with Christ’s mind. Think His thoughts. We must through our actions say, “I am in. I am a full-throated supporter of Yahshua’s plan and purpose. I am in Christ. I am with Him and for Him.
Now we must dedicate ourselves through prayer and study, to Christ’s desires [his will]. Walking in his desires leads us to abiding in Christ. [For more, order my book, The Royal Destiny of God’s Elect. It is free with free shipping. Just email me your name, mailing address, and the title of the book to wayneman5@hotmail.com.]
We must be “all in” on Christ’s plan, purpose, and will. This is the cleaning out of God’s spiritual temple, which is us. It is only in this state that He will come and abide in us. Our minds must be in Him. Our thoughts must be His thoughts. Then, and only then, will He come and abide, dwell, and stay in us.
Abiding in Christ is not a passive belief but an active commitment—an intentional alignment of our thoughts, desires, and actions with His will. When we declare, “I am in,” we affirm our dedication to His purpose, rejecting complacency and false teachings. Through prayer, study, and transformation, we cleanse our spiritual temple, preparing for His presence. Only when we fully abide in Him will He abide in us, empowering us to walk in His truth. Kenneth Wayne Hancock
Filed under abide
Few Enter through the Narrow Gate into the Spiritual Dimension
Few Enter through the Narrow Gate into the Spiritual Dimension
Christ commands us: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” The small and narrow gate leads to life and “only a few find it” (Matthew 7: 13—15 NIV). The wide easy gate is bad. Destruction looms.
In the very next breath, He warns us of something bad—false prophets. “Take heed that no man deceive you…And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many” (Matt. 24: 4,11; II Peter 2:1). Obviously, they are bad. In fact, these false prophets are the shepherds, the pastors, who appear in “sheep’s clothing” and preach false doctrines. These are false teachings about Christ. Millions of well-meaning people flock to their meetings. They are leading the people through the wide, easy to get into gate. Bad plus bad equals bad.
Question: Are the billions of deceived people in the pews the “few” who find life, who find what Peter, James, John, and Paul found? Who found the other dimension, the dimension where Peter and John healed the man with cerebral palsy! He had never walked upon this earth! This was not our holy King healing in person. It was his Spirit inside of Peter and John who had healed the poor man. This can be us, brothers and sisters.
In that scene, we see Peter and John entering God’s spiritual dimension. They had found the entrance into the spiritual dimension! No one can deny that they were the “few” who had entered “through the narrow gate.”
And why is it a narrow and small gate? It is narrow because it does not allow false teachings about Christ to pass through it. It is a narrow entrance gate because it compels us to “purge out the old leaven,” the old false teachings that have been handed down through the centuries.
The entrance is likened unto a small, narrow gate. It is narrow because very few we’ll dig deep to prove out all that they have been taught. Very few will study earnestly. For example, they will cling to ancient Pagan festivals. Most don’t even know that their holidays are of Pagan origin. Billions celebrate these festivals, but few ever research it.
There is a extremely wide door that receives the billions. But it is a narrow gate that “leads to life.” But Yahweh still says, “Learn not the way of the heathen, who cuts down a tree and decks it with silver and gold (Jeremiah 10:2-4).
Another false teaching concerns the “time of the end.” Billions have been taught that they will escape the Tribulation Period, that they will be saved by a rapture. Billions of Christians floating up, up, up above the devastation prophesied over the earth. Sounds like a very wide gate. The billions must be told that the rapture doctrine is a false doctrine. [Much more on the rapture found here: rapture | Search Results | Immortality Road].
“In conclusion, the narrow gate symbolizes the path of truth, righteousness, and spiritual discernment—a path few are willing to pursue. It demands the rejection of false teachings, worldly traditions, and complacency in favor of diligent study, spiritual growth, and abiding in the Word of God. While billions may be led astray through the wide gate by deception and ease, Christ calls us to strive for the narrow way that leads to life. This journey requires commitment to uncovering genuine teachings, purging old falsehoods, and standing firm against the allure of superficial doctrines. Ultimately, it is through the narrow gate that we enter the true spiritual dimension, where the Spirit of God works powerfully within His faithful few. Let us seek this gate with all our heart and mind, ensuring our walk aligns with His truth” [Conclusion written by Co-pilot, based on essay].
Kenneth Wayne Hancock
Filed under Christ, false doctrines, false prophets, false teachers, kingdom of God, pagan holidays, Rapture, Yahweh
Spiritual Fasting from Lukewarmness
Abstaining from being lukewarm
In the previous post, we explored God’s chosen fast—a spiritual fast where we abstain from false teachings about Christ and His plan and purpose. But you might ask, “What exactly do we abstain from?”
One significant fault prevalent among Christians is lukewarmness in our search for God. It is believing that we can please Christ with a lukewarm heart. Being lukewarm separates us from Him. As Christ sternly warned, “I will spew you out of My mouth.” Christ said that Christians in the last church age—that’s us—will be lukewarm, being neither hot nor cold.
The concept of being “lukewarm” in Revelation 3:15–16 is a metaphor used by Christ in His message to the church in Laodicea. He rebukes them for their spiritual complacency, saying they are neither “hot” (passionate, on fire for God) nor “cold” (completely rejecting God). Instead, they are indifferent, stagnant, and lacking zeal, which displeases Him to the point of threatening to “spit them out of His mouth” (Rev. 3:15-22).
Gold, White Raiment, Eye Salve
Christ goes on to give us the remedy for being in the dangerous state of lukewarmness. He counsels us to repent from lukewarmness by buying from Him three things: “Gold tried in the fire,” “white raiment,” and “eye salve.”
“Gold tried in the fire” is partaking of Christ’s sufferings. This is the trying of your faith, which purifies our belief in God (James 1:3). Lukewarm Christians do not want to suffer. But “beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (I Peter 4:12-13; I Peter 1:6-7; Job 23:10). Those who overcome will share in His “praise, honor, and glory at His appearing.” Suffering for Christ’s sake is fasting from lukewarmness. “If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.”
Furthermore, we are to seek “white raiment” to clothe our spiritual nakedness (Rev. 3:18; 19:8). And finally, we are to seek “eye salve” so that we have eyes to see the secret things.
[You will notice the brevity of the previous paragraph. Instead of explaining “white raiment” and “eye salve,” I have left them as your “homework.” From the Scriptures, explain what they mean, and for an “A” on the assignment, explain how they help us repent from lukewarmness. Share your study in the comment section.]
Spiritual fasting is abstaining from false doctrines
I saw a shop window this morning. It displayed different size eggs and bunny rabbits. They were made of pottery, plastic, and white fur. And I thought, Christ has nothing to do with these vestiges of fertility rites that pagans esteemed millennia ago. The person responsible for the display probably does not know the gravity of this practice. Then I thought, We have been fasting from the pagan holidays for decades. [For more, check out this excellent video: A Very PAGAN EASTER | FULL DOCUMENTARY].
I can hear Yahweh’s voice crying through Jeremiah’s lips: “Learn not the way of the heathen…for one cuts a tree out of the forest…They deck it with silver and gold…They fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not…” While they fiddle with earthly ornaments, they forget that “He has made the earth by his power, and He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens by his discretion” (Jer. 10:1-12).
To become His manifested sons and daughters, to achieve this growth, we must repent of the faults learned in our early years. God knows our hearts; He sees the sincerity in our efforts to do what is right. He has reached out to us in deeply personal ways, enabling us to know Him as our Savior. We were often told that attending church, paying tithes, making donations, and reading the Bible would secure our acceptance by Him. Yet, despite these practices, our growth has been limited—nothing resembling the profound transformation experienced by the early apostles.
God desires more for us. He has ordained spiritual fasting to foster our growth. This involves rejecting false doctrines and allowing His Spirit of truth to guide us, revealing the areas in our lives that require repentance. He has already cleansed us from all sin, which is defined as breaking the Ten Commandments. However, He seeks to purify us further by purging the “old leaven”—the faults rooted in false beliefs. These faults hinder the Spirit’s flow, much like clogged sap prevents the vine’s nourishment from reaching its branches (John 15:1-10).
Some may feel overwhelmed and exclaim, “I can’t do this! I don’t know how!” But that is the very point. It is not by our own strength that we succeed. After the cross experience, it is no longer “I that lives, but Christ that lives in me.” We have the Spirit of truth dwelling within us. We need only ask Him, and He will show us the way.
Let us read Christ’s comforting promise: “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth, for He shall show you things to come” (John 16:13). Those fasting from lukewarmness will be shone the treasures of wisdom. [Don’t forget to do your homework. May Yah show you His secrets. Kenneth Wayne Hancock]
Filed under faith, false doctrines, fasting
God’s Chosen Fast Is Spiritual, Not Physical
It is not denying yourself of earthly food.
The fast that God has chosen is not one of physical abstinence from food, but of spiritual abstinence from falsehoods. In Isaiah 58, Yahweh defines His kind of fast, emphasizing the rejection of false doctrines and the corrupt influences of the world.
By turning away from false teachings, He has promised us power to “loose the bands of wickedness” and “undo the heavy burdens” (v. 6). This spiritual fast grants us divine strength as we align our thoughts and actions with the mind of Christ. He is an invisible Spirit. “And they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). This includes fasting.
Yahweh calls on His people to avoid consuming the tainted spiritual bread of insincerity, wickedness, and falsehoods. Unlike literal bread, this sustenance represents the invisible, harmful spiritual nourishment that corrupts the soul. God’s fast is a call to purity and truth, inviting us to seek His guidance and embody His teachings in our lives.
It is natural to think “fasting from food.” But that is the point. Yahweh’s fast is not natural but spiritual. His fast is not earthly but spiritual. It is performed in our hearts and minds.
When we hear the word “fasting,” we always think of abstaining from food. But Yahweh’s fast is abstaining from spiritual things like false precepts, false doctrines, and false concepts about Christ and His plan and purpose.
Fasting under Old Covenant and New Covenant
Fasting from earthly food aligns with the Old Covenant, which was an agreement with God using earthly, physical types and shadows.
However, we now live in the New Covenant, and the fast Christ has called us to is in an invisible, spiritual realm. In that realm, Christ is everything, and we are a part of Him; we are members of His spiritual body.
The New Covenant is a spiritual witness and enactment of the Spirit of Christ working in us. Instead of a physical type, we have a spiritual reality in Christ.
Spiritual fasting involves refraining from consuming the ‘bread’ of false doctrines and misleading teachings. To fast spiritually is to reject and distance oneself from doctrines that are untrue or harmful.
We have come a long way; we love Christ, for He has saved us from our sins (Romans 6). But we are not in the growth of the early apostles; we have faults and shortcomings. These things are to be abstained from in a spiritual fast.
You may ask, “What things must I repent of to bear 100-fold fruit?” You must “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (II Cor. 13:5).
[Next time the Spirit of truth will show us an example of spiritual fasting in the Last Church Age. It is what we are to repent of, in order to be invited by Christ to sit with Him on His throne. The ball is up in the air. The time of the end contest is upon us. Who of us will leap up and learn from the Spirit’s teaching. I said “us.” Who of us will answer the “high calling”? Who will bear 100-fold fruit, as in the Parable of the Sower? Who will “rule over ten cities” during His 1,000 year reign right here on earth? Who will stop playing church and be the church, which is His body? The Spirit is asking us, Who will help me? Who will be my yokefellow?
He is rooting for us. Christ already sees us as His mighty men and women of valor. We need His eye salve to see the same thing that He sees. God bless all of you with His grace and mercy as you go through the spiritual life cycle, bearing 30, 60, and 100-fold fruit. {Read more here: parable sower | Search Results | Immortality Road If this resonates with your spirit, please make a comment and share this article with just one person on your email list. We need to reach out and feed His lambs and sheep, to show Christ that we love Him (John 21:15-17). Study it out.] Kenneth Wayne Hancock
Filed under body of Christ, children of God, church, death of self, Parables, Word, worship, Yahweh
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].
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.
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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
Filed under agape, armour of God, Christ, faith, immortality, knowledge
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