Growing Past the Elementary Things

By E. Ford Jr Jr. Grant

We have the Holy Word of God, the Bible. We have the Chief
Executive Officer of the Body of Christ; the Holy Spirit. He is
omnipresent, which means we all have access to the very
heart of God. How impactful is that? Literally we have been
given the opportunity of the ages and it comes with great
responsibility. The

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Nov 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781640881488

Book preview

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GROWING PAST THE ELEMENTARY THINGS

E. Ford Grant, Jr.

Trilogy Christian Publishers

Tustin, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2018 by E. Ford Grant, Jr.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, contact Trilogy Christian Publishing, Rights Department2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

First Trilogy Christian Publishing hardcover edition October 2018

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-64088-147-1

ISBN: 978-1-64088-148-8 (eBook)

Contents

Introduction vii

1. Understanding What the Will of the Lord Is 3

2. A Change of Heart 7

3. The Creative Force of Words 13

4. The Message of Faith 17

5. How are You Framing Your World? 23

6. Sowing and Reaping in Your Thought Life 31

7. Mysteries Solved Via the Holy Spirit 39

8. Charting Your Course 47

9. Respond or React 53

10. Why Does God Only Respond to Faith? 61

11. Pathway to Success 71

12. Our Power Source 83

13. Equality with Jesus in the Human Experience 95

14. Finish What Jesus Started 101

15. Gaining Spiritual Insight 113

16. Be Steadfast 121

17. Learning God’s Ways 129

18. Power Gifts 139

19. We Cannot Be Defeated 151

20. Glory Achieved in Us 157

21. Who’s King? 175

22. Meditate on the Word, Will, and Wisdom of God to Your Soul 187

Introduction

How do you, as a Christian, perceive the state or well-being of the body of Christ today? In the USA we are so fractured and separated in our thoughts and perceptions of each other. Denominational isms were not conceived in the mind of the first century church as they are today. Unity was viewed as essential for the success of the mission given by Christ. Oh, they had their problems alright, but primarily it was the Messianic Jews who could not conceive, at first, that we Gentiles were grafted in with them, and were considered their equals and given the same opportunity to thrive with God. The apostles Paul and Peter, through revelation, brought this truth to the people of God and made great headway in this understanding.

The term faith has come to mean a certain group’s spiritual philosophy, instead of it being the essential element in the life of every believer that can bring pleasure to God (Heb. 11:6). My hope is that in reading this book you will be inspired to not only realize the importance of Christian faith, but also to grow in biblical faith. This kind of faith will usher you into a viable, productive, and constructive relationship with God, and with others in body of Christ. I say with God, because understanding what the will of God is in any desired thing makes it possible for the believer to exercise faith, and that pleases God on the highest order. We must walk together in unity to accomplish all that is required of us to bring glory to the Father’s name.

Chapter 1

Understanding What the Will of the Lord Is

I often ask in a teaching session what the primary reason is for reading the Bible. You can imagine how the answers may vary. Jesus made this statement: Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me. And you will not come to Me, that you might have life (John 5:39-40 KJV).

My point is that you can read the scriptures for a number of reasons and still not ascertain the will of God for your situation. Why? Because for many of us, our religious training or tradition overshadows what we are reading. For example, a dear Christian lady came to me for prayer concerning her physical ailments. During our conversation, she expressed her belief that God had allowed her to be sick in order to gain glory through teaching her something in the process. No matter how many times I quoted the scriptures revealing God’s will for her to be well, she repeatedly referred to her religious training and how God allowed sickness or suffering so that He might be glorified. This was something her whole family had practiced, and need I say that most all of them were suffering in some way, and some had even died.

No matter how many times I tried to get the will of God across to her, I was unsuccessful. She wore that belief like a badge of honor. Finally, the Lord showed me what to say the next time she requested prayer.

I said, If God is to be glorified through your sickness, and to date you haven’t learned whatever great lesson He’s trying to teach you through this ‘suffering,’ would it be sinful to continue taking your medicine to get healed before the suffering is complete and you’ve learned the mysteries He’s trying to teach you? Of course, she didn’t have an answer for that, and it changed the way she approached me thereafter.

God has given us this moment to evaluate where we are going in life, and what kind of experiences we will have. It is possible to have and exercise more control of our lives. That is very appealing to me, because I don’t want someone else pulling all the strings and manipulating my life, as though I were a puppet. The exercise of free will is one of the greatest gifts given to us; we are the ones with the controlling hands on the rudder of this ship we call life.

Do you believe in a higher power, a cosmic awareness, or a great intellectual conscious being? Of course, there are some that believe we’re just here on our own, and this allows for many to become God to themselves. I have to ask, because many of us generate beliefs based on personal criteria rather than actual historical documents. We live in a society where it is commonplace to create our own truth, and we are willing to stake our well-being upon it. But truth is defined as the real state of things and the body of real events or facts. For many, truth is the sum total of their experience in life. But is it possible that some other force has been at work to make our experience, or our reality, truth? Some will say it is my fate, and nothing can be done to change it. If that is so, why then do we yearn for a better life?

I believe that our Creator has secretly implanted a desire for good and better within each of us, as His calling card to give an invitation to get to know His love for us. But what does knowing His love really mean? It means we come to understand His will for our lives in every area: spiritually, bodily, financially, you name it--God desires that we know it. He said, I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (Jer. 29:11). Without understanding what His will is, can you then expect what kind of life you have been given? God’s greatest competition comes from His creation, and the power we have in exercising our free will. Not some mysterious outside evil force, but our ability to just decide against Him or with Him in what He has already accomplished for us.

Chapter 2

A CHANGE OF HEART

I was happy to live my life in a manner that pleased me, until the conviction of the Holy Spirit began to interrupt what I had been giving myself to. Without that interruption, I would have continued down the wrong path. Some might ask, Do we not have the right to choose the path we desire? Yes, we do, but God also has the right to make His creation aware of the consequences of their choice. And He also has the JOY of revealing what He has planned for everyone who will listen to and receive the Spirit’s call.

If we were to use criteria that we personally manufacture to make our decision about the existence of a being greater than ourselves, well, the conclusions would vary as much as every person on the planet has a different personality. God does not leave us to such insanity. He loves us too much to leave us without help; that’s why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. He leads us to truth and will teach us all we need to know about God’s plan to bless and prosper us.

I point this out because my intention is to introduce you to the God of the Holy Bible. That may sound strange, since this book is written primarily for those of us who claim to be born-again believers. I’ve found in over thirty years of ministry (and nearly twenty of that in pastoring) that many of us develop a system of believing based on personal experience, instead of our use of the Word of God. In this holy document, the Bible, is all the evidence one needs to be convinced that there is only one true God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen.

My emphasis will be the realization of what a loving heavenly Father God has provided for His creation, and just how all these blessings can be accessed! Let me explain. We all face difficulties, trying situations, and circumstances. We have a deep inner sense that God cares about what is going on in our lives. But we haven’t all been instructed in how our Father God addresses and meets those needs. In most cases, we’ve heard that God will make a way somehow, or we may have been told to hold on to God’s unchanging hand. Those may be religious sentiments commonly accepted by believers, but they are not practical. Making a way somehow implies that it is unknown to us. Holding on to God’s hand? That would be an option, but who has ever seen it, or can tell me where it is?

The Holy Bible gives us practical steps to take, in order to ensure that all our needs will indeed be met by a loving, caring, heavenly Father. We must give the proper priority to the sacred scriptures, recognizing that they represent the very will and purpose of God. That means that the Word of God has to be the final authority in our lives when making decisions.

You see, many times our emotions take the seat of authority. When that happens, the Word of God can have less significance to us in that moment. But in a moment, some very tragic things can happen; some may even be irreversible. We all know that there are consequences to every action we take, and in most cases we are thinking in terms of something negative in response to steps we’ve taken out of desperation.

Like everyone else, when I’ve been in a tight spot I just wanted it to be over and done with. Quick fixes usually lead to the repetition or even the perpetuation of some bad activity. Too often, a whole generation can be caught in this vicious cycle; I almost was. By the grace of God, my becoming a third-generation alcoholic was annihilated. I had what I believe to be a godly uncle, who to my knowledge I never met. However, my dad and I were given his name, and I believe that this individual prayed for my family, and that I became the first recipient of those petitions.

But life still has to be lived after salvation, and it must be lived as God designed it. If not, we will find ourselves creating religious practices that yield only heartache. You probably became knowledgeable of a religious practice or belief before even being introduced to the doctrine of the holy scriptures. That kind of activity has become sacred in the church! It’s time for someone to confront our sacred cows and show the futility of worshipping them!

You will find, in this writing, certain concepts being set forth that, after scriptural proof is given, will require your undivided attention and participation. Why? So that you can experience the abundance of God’s overwhelming desire to meet your every need. That’s right-- God does not do anything in our lives without our consent, agreement, and participation. It’s time we grow past the elementary manner in which we relate to God and begin to cooperate with His way.

"Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of