Finished Fact or Future Hope?

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. —Ephesians 4:24

Addictions—such as smoking, drugs, food, or alcohol—can be removed from your life by believing in the deliverance that Jesus has already provided for you. You are born again, but you still believe that you are a smoker, a druggie, or an alcoholic. You trust God for deliverance, but you are still claiming your old nature—“I’m a smoker”; “I am an alcoholic”—and yet God never calls you anything but a new creature, His workmanship, created in righteousness and holiness (2 Corinthians 5:17). People want to kick the habit before they will believe the promise. But if they just believe the promise and get and stay in faith, the grace of God will kick the habit. “Even as I light up, I know that I have been delivered from smoking, because God’s Word says I am delivered.” This is humility, and it allows the grace of God to go to work and remove the addiction. We want to kick the habit before we believe we are free. But if we just believe that we are free, according to the Word of God, we will kick the habit by the power of God (Hebrews 4:12). We have been taught to try to achieve deliverance rather than simply receive deliverance by agreement with the Word and the grace of God. All the promises of God are “yes and amen” for you (2 Corinthians 1:20)—when? Now! Now faith is. This is true Bible faith.

Pastor Tom Kehres

The Danger

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. —Hebrews 10:38–39

The just shall live by faith—by believing God’s report. “But if any man draw back . . .” Draw back from what? From God’s report into unbelief. If you do, “[God has] no pleasure.” Why not? Because you cut yourself off from the help of God, and He wants to help you. You were created to live a kingdom of God faith life. What would cause you to draw back? Another report or another type of evidence. If you draw back, your soul was lifted up. If you draw back, that will lead to destruction, but if you believe, it brings about the saving, or the transformation, of the soul. Through continual believing, your mind, will, and emotions will begin to come into agreement with the Word. All the promises of God are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). Pride in your life will take the promises of God out of the “yes and amen,” present blessing into a future benefit. When a symptom hits your body, you will be tempted to believe it and say, “I think I’m getting sick.” This takes the Word of God, which declares, “By His stripes I was healed” (emphasis added), from a finished fact to a future hope. This is when you must stay humble and believe the Word so that the grace of God (health) continues to function in your body. If you remain in faith, you enforce your divine right of healing as a Kingdom citizen. The grace of God will go to work to remove the symptom.

Pastor Tom Kehres

Grace and Humility

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. —1 Peter 5:6–7

This fight of faith—to believe the Word above all else—involves your soul. The soul—your mind, will, and emotions—will rise up to question and challenge the Word. When a symptom hits your body, your mind will say, Do you really believe you are healed? Your emotions will shout, You’re not healed; feel that pain! Your will can reason, Don’t be a liar, say you are sick, tell the truth. You must immediately go to the Word and cast down the knowledge of the soul. If you don’t, you will fall into pride. If you fall into pride, there is then no access to the grace (free gift) of health. James 4:6 says, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” If you believe the uncertainty of the natural realm, you will block the supernatural grace of God. If you believe the uncertainty of the natural realm, you will live without the supernatural help of God. Why? Believing the natural over the Word is pride. “God resists the proud. God gives more grace to the humble.” Who are the humble? Those who believe the Word of God no matter what. The humble live in the grace of God and with the supernatural help of God. How do we live in humility? By trusting God’s Word in every situation and circumstance. A humble person casts his care on the Lord because of His promises. Worry is a sign that you are in pride. Why does worry come into your life? Because another report is presented to you. You must cast all your cares on Him—especially when those who live with a lifted-up soul attack those who are truly humble. This is why the righteous shall suffer persecution (Matthew 5:10).

Pastor Tom Kehres

It’s a Choice

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. —Hebrews 11:13

Most believers live a roller-coaster life. They believe God’s report one day, and they are on top. Then they believe their senses and emotions the next, so they are down and out. Up one day, down the next. Why? They are believing the Word one day and then believing the natural man apart from the spirit the next. Their soul is lifted up above God’s Word. The Bible says, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). When is the day the Lord has made? Today. When will I rejoice? When I feel like it? No, today, whether I feel like it or not. A faith man’s testimony lines up with the Word of God, not with what he is going through. Humble faith people go through things, but they refuse to become victims of what they go through. A victim puts what he is going through in his mouth. People will call speaking the Word instead of the problem lying. “He says that he is healed! I can see the symptoms. That’s a lie!” Who thinks that? A person whose soul is lifted up. A faith man or woman believes the report of the Lord. He is stable. He does not testify one minute and complain the next. He does not tithe one week and rob God the next. He does not praise God this day and grumble the next. He is the same—yesterday, today, and forever! Sound familiar? (Hebrews 13:8). I have heard preachers say, “These pastors who say that they never have a bad day; who say, ‘I’m blessed’; who say, ‘My needs are met,’ are liars! Unreal! Crazy!” What is their problem? They have not learned that their emotions, senses, and circumstances should be subject to the Word of God. Their souls are lifted up.

Pastor Tom Kehres