Reviving the Dead: 10 Keys to Unlock Purpose and Destiny

By Dr. Lisa Bruce

With over three billion people who profess to be Christians, why is the world so dark? Where has our mighty spirit been buried? And why have so many believers become socially ineffective? The truth is, most of the individuals who have accepted Christ are alive in the flesh and dead in the spirit. In this book, the church will receive ten crucial keys to unlock its former influence, reactivate its authority, and bring positive change to the people around them. If you desire to reawaken spiritually, develop a greater connection with God, discover your true identity, exercise your faith at a deeper level, and walk in your highest potential, Reviving the Dead will lead you in the right direction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514470695

Dr. Lisa Bruce

Coming from a background of child abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, alcoholism, and spiritual poverty, Dr. Lisa Bruce experienced the transforming power of the gospel in 1990. Transformed for a purpose, she went back to school to become equipped for her spiritual assignment. Over the next fifteen years, she earned her doctorate degree while studying psychology, biblical theology, Christian counseling, and organizational leadership. During that time, she embarked on a life-changing journey that led her into a deeper level of purpose. Dr. Bruce is an ordained minister and the former copastor of Community International Church. She’s a Christian counselor, author, and the CEO of Spiritual Eye Publications, an online e-book publishing house. As the founder of Common Thread Ministries, she works both inside and outside of the church. CTM is not just a ministry; it’s a global movement that’s transcending culture and accelerating all around the world. Dr. Bruce has authored five books, sharing from her twenty-five years of experience in over twenty denominations and various religious segments (including Catholic and Protestant) worldwide. Her unique style and presentation has given her the ability to cross racial, social, organizational, and denominational barriers to empower and equip the body of Christ.

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Copyright © 2016 by Dr. Lisa Bruce.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5144-7070-1

                eBook             978-1-5144-7069-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/14/2016

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Key # 1 You Were Born to Take Acquisition

Key # 2 Good and Evil: Two Shades of the Human Condition

Key # 3 You Must Practice Your Faith

Key # 4 Your Identity Is in Christ

Key # 5 Don’t Become Collateral Damage

Key # 6 Present Yourself As a Living Sacrifice

Key # 7 The Queen Is One of The Most Powerful Pieces on the Board

Key # 8 Thy Kingdom Come… Through You!

Key # 9 Religiosity: Don’t Get Caught Up in Church Politics

Key # 10 Spirituality: Finding Your Way Back to God

Special Prayer

About the Author

Recommended Books To Empower You

INTRODUCTION

Adam and Eve were placed on the earth to establish their Father’s kingdom, but through a series of events, they failed to complete the mission. This situation sent the entire human race into a tailspin, causing many individuals to wander aimlessly and question the reason for their existence. This book is dedicated to all the believers who have ever said, There has to be more to life. Yes, there’s more to the Christian life than what you may have been exposed to, and by the time you finish reading this book you will have a clear understanding of God’s divine purpose for your life.

1

YOU WERE BORN TO TAKE ACQUISITION

KEY #1

When we read the Bible, we have no way of telling when or how God’s throne was first established. What we do know is God is a King Who sits in heavenly places with an angelic army at His disposal. The earth is His footstool and humanity is His most prized possession. One day a rebellion erupted in His kingdom to which one third of the angels took part in. Once Lucifer challenged God’s authority, he arose in arrogance, proclaiming his intention to take acquisition (The act of acquiring something, bought, obtained or inherited, or a way of doing things, attaining, achieving, gaining, getting a hold of through purchase or assuming possession, acquired by training, developing the skill or incurring something through heritage, inherent right, by title, office, transfer of property or positional procurement) of the royal throne.

As recorded in the book of Isaiah 14, Lucifer declared (in his heart), I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most High. How could Lucifer take a controlling interest in the kingdom without being a legitimate heir? How could he rule, reign, or have dominion if he were not related through blood or his name was nowhere to be found in the will? How could he be considered a king without having any access to a kingdom, citizens, or heirs to the throne? Well, aside from the fact that he had (or has) no legal rights, he was cast into the earth to set up what he intended for a season.

How could Lucifer accomplish his objective without a host to carry out his initiative? Well, that’s where Adam and Eve came in. There was no way for God or Lucifer to set up their earthly kingdoms without human participation. Like a chess game, the human species was placed on the board to be maneuvered by one king who was in power and another who was trying to gain power; where each one set out to establish their kingdoms within the earth. Still, there was no way to play the game with only one king on the board. That’s why God rigged the board and gave Lucifer the opportunity to position himself. See, Lucifer couldn’t make any legitimate moves until he took possession of a few human pawns—like, Adam and Eve.

In Genesis, or in the book of beginnings as some refer to it, we find Adam’s being formed to take residence in a human body. Eventually, he’s placed on sleep mode while his bride receives a few finishing touches. After the two are reconnected (as one), they immediately enter a basic training exercise to prepare to take acquisition of the earth. The word acquisition comes from the word acquire. Acquire means, to come into possession or ownership of something; or to get as one’s own, as to gain for oneself through one’s actions or efforts. Acquisition (from the general sense, not to the material degree of selfish intent but to the betterment or edification of mankind) is, the learning or developing of a skill, habit or quality.

By the time we get to Genesis 1:26 through 28, the stage has been set for acquisition:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful [be productive], and multiply [expand], and replenish [stock and restock so you don’t run out] the earth, and subdue [manage, overcome, conquer and keep things under your control] it: and have dominion [take authority, have control, rule, command, sway, govern in your jurisdiction] over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Fruitfulness, multiplication, subjugation, replenishing, and dominion are all used when conducting business. When you open a company the first thing you put in place is a plan to increase productivity so the business can expand. Then you stock your product and reorder before it runs out so you can meet consumer demands and dominate the market. Effective management is the key to growth and productivity. Management has to do with recruiting, staffing, organizing, planning, leading, training, directing, mentoring, and correcting. If you fail to put these things into practice you won’t be in business too long.

The garden set the stage for the first business transaction. Whenever you start a business you need to develop a product or a service to offer to the general public. Genesis 2:7 says, And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Adam was the first product that God put on the market and authorized him to do kingdom business. Without any prior training, experience or a college degree God made Adam CEO [a chief executive officer, the highest ranking person in a company or institution, ultimately responsible for making managerial decisions] and Eve his personal assistant. One pastor said, Kingdom businesses are the scattering of God in the marketplace.

In the business world companies grow through mergers and acquisitions. It shouldn’t shock you when I say, God and Satan entered into the first joint merger. This merger established a connection between the flesh and the spirit, within the context of the human species. Where each one took a controlling interest in humanity, to utilize them to establish their objectives, to take acquisition of the earth.

Satan couldn’t seal the merger until Adam committed a rebellious act. After the transaction was complete, Satan had a vested interest in humanity. Why? Well, he needed someone to authorize his kingdom and promote his propaganda. God and Satan setup their kingdoms to sell it to future generations. This word sell is not used within the context of monetary solicitation; but rather to persuade someone of the merits or value of (to sell an idea). Whenever someone starts a business they need to have two things in place—a product and a good marketing strategy. A product is defined as, goods, or an idea, method, information, an object or a service created as a result of a process which serves a need or satisfies a want or desire. When developing a promotional strategy for a product experts say, Online, television or public advertising is key when establishing a new brand. While word-of-mouth, or demonstrating the effectiveness of the product and giving away free samples usually draws consumers.

If you are a Christian you were authorized to provide a service and lead people to Christ. The message of the gospel is a strategic idea that was put in place to bring people to Christ—and we were called to sell it to anyone that would buy into the concept. When’s the last time you shared the gospel or promoted the Christian brand? As stated, Adam was the first product that God put on the market. Why? Well, to sell his public image. Adam was made in the image and likeness of God, so whenever you saw him you were being exposed to the constitution of his Creator.

Do you have a special name that you call your Creator? Like Elohim, El Shaddai, Yahweh, Jehovah, Lord of hosts, or heavenly Father? Before Moses went to Egypt God had a very interesting conversation with him. Exodus 3:13 and 14 says,

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, what is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

When God said, I am that I am, He was describing the true essence of His identity. One minister said, God exists by Himself as an uncreated Creator who is independent of any concept, force or entity. What does that have to do with the human species? Well, let’s go back to Genesis for a moment. When God named man Adam, He was giving him an earthly name and a heavenly identity. Dr. Dionny Baez said, God created man male and female so Adam is a nature, a mind state, and a way of thinking. The Lord designed Adam to think just like Him so he could carry on the family business.

When people develop a product they usually give it a name that makes a statement or identifies directly with the manufacturer. In Hebrew Adam means human being, person, or man. When we look at the word Adam we see two syllables emerge: Ad and Am. Ad is short for advertisement, Am is indicative of, to be, as in a state of being or existence. God told Moses, When they ask who sent you, give them my identity and tell them that I just exist within the context of being who I AM. The Bible tells us that man was created in the image of God. An image is, a representation of an external form of a person or thing in art form, within the context of likeness, resemblance or a shadow of things to come. God sculpted (like a potter forms the clay) man from the dust of the ground so He could demonstrate His nature in the earth. In the garden there were no televisions, radios, computers, phones, or video recorders so God used Adam and Eve to launch His first promotional campaign.

By the time Christ stepped into His true identity He initiated a new advertisement crusade, where He became the face of the product. John 12:45 says, And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. Jesus Christ came to advertise the kingdom of God and demonstrate the works of His Father. One minister said, Jesus was His name but Christ was His true identity. What’s the difference between Jesus and Christ? One pastor said, "Jesus is embraced in religion but Christ is recognized in the kingdom. He was Jesus when he was born, he was Jesus when he was twelve, but when he turned 30, he became the Christ and reactivated his Father’s kingdom." When we read Matthew 16:15 through 18 we realize that Jesus wasn’t having an identity crisis when He asked, Whom say ye that I Am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This disciple not only received a revelation about who Jesus really was but he also acquired divine intelligence about the kingdom of God.

The kingdom brings us into an encounter with God where we step into our true identity. Your name is not your identity. That’s just what people call you and you respond to it. When Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, God spoke to his identity—as a man who would bring forth a nation. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [through the spirit], the new creation has come [new version, model, or product]: the old has gone, the new is here! [NIV] So it doesn’t matter what your name is—your identity is in the last Adam. First Corinthians 15:45 says, The first man, Adam, became a living person. But the last Adam, that is, Christ, is a life giving Spirit [NLT]. It is through the indwelling of the spirit that we step into our true identity and take acquisition of the earth.

It’s all about taking acquisition! Before the Israelites went into the Promised Land they were told, Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land… (Deuteronomy 1:8). Most of what we do today revolves around mergers and acquisitions. Marriage for example, is a covenantal merger where two people come together to build material and financial possessions. It’s all about reciprocity! When you join a company you connect with that business or organization to get paid to perform a service so you can use the money to acquire groceries, clothes, or buy a house or a car, or even put your children through college.

The church established a merger between God and humanity, to which Christ could expand the gospel of the kingdom and take acquisition of the entire earth. The first disciples that Jesus recruited were a part of a fishing business. Mark 1:16 through 20 says, "Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to