Fourth-Dimensional Spirituality in a Three-Dimensional World
Dr. David Yonggi Cho Instit Institu ute fo f or Church Church Grow Growth th Seoul, Seoul , South South Kor Korea ea
Bridge-Logos Alachua, FL 32615 USA Fourth Dimensional Living in a Three Dimensional World by World by Dr. David David Yong-Gi Yong-Gi Cho Copyright ©2006 by Bridge-Logos All rights reserved. Under International Copyright Law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photographic photographic (photocopy), (photocopy), reco recording, rding, or otherwise—w otherwise—without ithout writt written en permiss permission ion from the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006938551 International Standard Book Number 978-088270-312-1
Scripture quotations marked nkjv taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas els els on on,, Inc. Inc. Used by permi permis s ion on.. All All righ ghts ts reserved. es erved.
Contents Introduction 1. Thi Think nkii ng 2. Fai Fai th 3. Drea Dre ams 4. Wor Words ds Epilogue
Introduction Your Invitation to a Fourth-Dimensional World
While living in the three-dimensional realm, you can experience spirituality in the fourth-dimensional realm by faith, as God declares: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made made of o f thin things gs which are visible ” (Heb. 11:1-3, NKJV, ital ta lics min e). I once had the opportunity to lecture on the topic of church growth at the prominent Fuller Theological Seminary in America. It was quite a gathering; faculty and students of the seminary attended along with leaders of various ministries and organi organ izations throug th rougho hout ut Am Ameri erica. ca. At the th e event ev ent,, I met Dr. Dr. Peter Peter Wagner Wagne r for for the th e first first time. time. He He is the th e one o ne who invited me to t o com co me and speak. After we greeted each other, he shared with me a very interesting story. He told me that God had blessed him with a special gift of healing people with deformed legs. He wou oulld pr p ray for thes e peop p eoplle and an d their t heir legs wou oulld gr g row back to thei th eirr nor no rmal si s ize and a nd lengt en gth. h.
I became a little suspicious regarding what I was hearing. Dr. Wagner was a professor and a theologian, and he just didn’t look like someone who was capable of carrying out such miraculous healings. My doubtful look must have bothered him, him, for for he inv nviited te d me me to t o com c omee and an d s ee a heali h ealing ng for mys mys elf. elf. So two days later I stopped by his office. What timing! At the office there was an Iraqi whose leg had been amputated as the result of an accident, Mrs. Wagner, Rev. Yongil Kim, and other pastors. Finally, Dr. Wagner walked into the office. After a brief prayer, he laid his hands on the man’s leg and shouted, “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, leg, grow! Leg, grow g row ou out! t! In In the t he nam na me of o f Jesus Jes us of Nazareth, Nazareth, leg leg,, grow!” grow!” He prayed like that for over five minutes. Drenched in sweat, Dr. Wagn Wagner er shou sh outed ted thes e comm commands and s ov over er and over o ver again. again. But But the man’s leg remained unchanged. At that point, I consoled Dr. Wagner, for I was afraid he might “lose face” if the healing didn’t didn’t happen. happ en. I said, “I’m sure this man’s leg can grow out this instant, but the th e heali h ealing ng migh ghtt occu o ccurr gradual gradu allly as well ell.” Everyone in the office said something similar in an effort to console Dr. Wagner. However, he didn’t give up. He extended his arm a rmss tow to ward the th e the th e Iraq Iraqii man and a nd direct directed ed hi h im to repeat the t he following prayer after him: “We believe you are a living God. We believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We believe Jesus will heal us surely.” Dr. Wagner then asked the man to
s it down. d own. By this time I was beginning to feel awkward and uncom un comffortable, ortable, so s o I began beg an pr p raying for bo both th Dr. Wagner Wag ner and the Iraqi man: “Father God, forgive us for our weak faith. Father, whether the leg grows out or not, may Dr. Wagner not miss his foo ooti ting ng and a nd lose los e heart.” heart.” ext, Dr. Wagner walked over to the man, placed his hands on his leg, and commanded: “I command in the name of Jesus o azareth, leg, grow! Grow out in the name of Jesus o azareth!” Righ ghtt at that th at mom momen ent, t, som s ometh ethiing un unbe bellievable ev able occurr occ urred. ed. In fact, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was so stunned that I almost fell backw ba ckwards ards . Within thi th irty seco s econd ndss , the th e man man’s ’s leg grew g rew ou out! t! I was absolutely astounded by the obvious miracle that I had witnessed. I had no idea that God would do something that amazing for us. From that time on I knew quite poignantly how close God really is to our lives. This wonderful healing took place in the th e office office of a profes pro fesss or, or, no nott in s om omee church ch urch,, no nott o n Prayer Mountain, and not in a revival meeting or healing crusade. In strong faith Dr. Wagner simply said, “Grow out, leg!” The Iraqi man walked around the office in utter amaz amazem emen ent, t, and an d he h e di d id no n o t lim limp or o r falter falter as he walk walked. ed . How great and awesome God’s grace is! He is not far from us. Some may think He’s trillions of light-years away from us, but
they’re so wrong, for He is right here with us, closer than the air we breathe! He hears our words and sees our actions. To thi th is day da y, our ou r won wonderful derful God is perform performing miracles racles throug th rough h us , the same kinds of miracles that He carried out through Jesus Chris hris t in the th e Judean Jud ean hill hills 2000 years ago. ag o. Dr. Wagner came up to me while I was thanking God for rev reveali ealing ng thes th esee gl g loriou oriouss truths truth s to me. He He s aid, aid, “Dr. “Dr. Cho Cho,, I’m I’m greatly indebted to you for being able to carry out miraculous healings.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I tried to argue with him as to ho how w som so mething lik like thi th is coul cou ld be b e credited credited to me. Dr. Wagner explained: “Dr. Cho, I read your book, The Fourth Dimension, which says that in order to experience God od’’s worki orking ng,, one needs n eeds firs t to t o dr d ream and then the n he h e or o r she sh e can command the miracle to happen. As we do these things, the miracle we seek shall come to pass. In the office, I firmly bel be lieved ev ed that th at the th e man’ an ’s leg woul wou ld be healed he aled and an d s o I proclai pro claim med it with with my words. words . Then I dreamed dreamed that th at I had alread already y seen the healing unfold before my eyes. As a result, the dream reall really di d id com co me to pas p asss .” Because he carried out his work in unwavering faith, he experienced a miracle that I, who had written about such miracles, had never experienced. Dr. Wagner was experiencing a life full of grace and blessing. That was a major wake-up call for me. Through that incident I learned how close God really is
to us, and I discovered that through strong, unwavering faith, anything is possible, no matter how great the miracle might s eem to be. b e. I wrote the book, The Fourth Dimension , twenty-five years ago. It was about the secrets of the fourth-dimensional world . Actually, learning the spiritual aspects of the fourthdimensional world and putting the principle of gleaned insights from that world to use as a driving force in my life and ministry were not my own doing or something I learned from another human being. It was the Holy Spirit who taught me these s ecrets du duri ring ng my lon ong g years yea rs of fell fellowship ows hip with with Him. But recently, God has been giving new revelations to me on an almost continual basis. Sometimes He does this for more than an ho hour ur at a tim time. Duri During ng thes e s pecial encoun enco unters, ters, I can hear God’s voice speaking repeatedly in the privacy of my own prayer room. His revelations are always deeply moving, and s om ometim etimes es they th ey “explode” “explode” with withiin my inn nner er being, my my s piri pirit. This is one of the reasons I’ve written this new book about the fourth di d imens ion on;; I want want to s hare God God’s ’s power p owerful ful and awesom awes omee revelation evelationss with yo you. u. The Bi Bible ble teaches teach es that things which are are seen s een were were not no t made made o things which are visible. (See Heb. 11:3.) What we actually see in the three-dimensional world didn’t come into existence through some process of evolution. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution claims that the three-dimensional world has evolved by its elf and an d wil will cont co ntiinu nuee to evolve ev olve on its own. Bu t the th e Bible
says that the visible, three-dimensional world didn’t just evolve on its own. Instead, the world is influenced and formed by an inv nviis ible world world that th at trans tran s cends cen ds the th e three-dim th ree-dimen enss ion onal al world. Therefore, the things which are seen were not made of things which which are a re vis vis ible. Some Some sci s cien entif tifiic theori th eories es s ay, “Wha “W hatt one sees is complete in how it appears.” But the Bible says otherwise. The three-dimensional world that is evident to our phys ph ys ical s ens en s es do does es n’t ju s t rely rely on its own princ princiiples to evol evo lve and an d to t o form its elf. elf. My special times with God as my Tutor have taught me so many things. How I thank Him for the insights and revelation evelationss He has brought broug ht to me. me. Hi His teachi teach ing has brought broug ht me me closer and closer to Him and has drawn me deeper and deeper into an und u nder erss tandi tand ing of Hi His awes awesom omee creation creation!!
The S ec ecre rett of the the Inv Invis ible ible Fourth-D ourth-Dimens imensiona ionall World
I felt a strong inspiration from the Holy Spirit deep within my heart one day while I was earnestly praying. In the secret Pa stor r chamber of my heart, I heard a voice speaking to me: “ Pasto Cho, what is i s one dimension dimension ?” “It’s “It’s a li line between tw t wo po poiints ,” I s aid. aid. No , you’re you ’re wrong.” wron g.” I coul cou ld s ens en s e God God s miling as He sai s aid, d, “ No,
“No? “No? One dimens dimens ion is n’t a line?” I res respo pond nded. ed. “That’s That’s righ right. t. Sure, there is a line lin e in one o ne dimension, d imension, but bu t it must not have any depth or width to it. Because one dimension doesn’t have any thickness or width to it, the line is imag imagina inary. ry.” ” “I see s ee . . . .” His explanation was crystal-clear to me. If a line is drawn with a penc pe nciil, that th at line takes ta kes on thi th icknes s from from the th e lead. ead . This means ean s that the minute a line is drawn, the line isn’t one-dimensional any longer. The line now has depth, which means it is twodimensional, so to speak. To the extent the line is drawn, it has now become a flat plane. That means that one dimension must not have any depth or space but remain a line, so the concep con ceptu tual al,, one-di one -dim mens en s ion onal al line is pu purel rely y imaginary imaginary at its core. co re. Therefore, the one-dimensional figure that we draw to represent something enters the two-dimensional realm and is ruled by that dimension. But if one looks at that illustration from the one-dimensional point of view, one understands that the one dimension has the two-dimensional realm embedded within it. Let me give you another illustration of this same principle. A plane is two-dimen two-dimenss ion onal, al, bu butt the th e minu nute te we draw it, the th e line takes on depth so, mathematically speaking, it is two-
dimensional; but in actuality, it becomes a three-dimensional s olid. olid. Of course cou rse,, one mus mus t vi v iew it it und u nder er a mi microscop cros copee to loo ook k at thes e fine fine detai d etaills . Like the th e one on e dimen dimenss ion we discus dis cus s ed earl e arliier, the th e twodimensional plane, in actuality, is an imaginary plane; a plane that has no thickness whatsoever is two-dimensional. That, too, is imaginary. This means that two-dimensional space, by fate, becomes part of a three-dimensional realm and is controlled by it. From the two-dimensional standpoint, therefore, a two-dimensional realm has the three-dimensional realm embedded within it. Likewise, the three-dimensional realm, a physical body, includ ncludes es bo both th ti t ime and s pace in its its conti con tinu nuum um.. Once Once tho t hoss e two elements came into being, the element of space already bel be lon ong g ed to infinity, nfinity, and an d the th e elemen elementt of time, time, likewi kewis e, b ecam eca me part pa rt of infi infinity. nity. In othe ot herr words, words , space sp ace is part pa rt of infi infinity, nity, bu butt tha t hatt s pace no now w incl includ udes es the infinity nfinity that th at is within it. it. Similarly, time belongs to eternity, but time also includes eternity. Infinity is embedded in space, and time is embedded in eternity. On that premise, we can say that the fourth-dimensional realm is both a time-space realm, a threedimensional realm with the element of time added to it. It is a spiritual realm, a world of spirit, a world that completely trans transcends cends the phy physs ical world. orld. God is the owner of eternity and infinity. God is eternal and
infinite. nfinite. The Th e Hol Ho ly Spiri Spirit made ad e tha t hatt p oint expli explicitl citly y clear to me in order for for me me to un unders derstand tand thes the s e concept con ceptss more clearl clearly. y. He said, “ I am not no t trill tri llio ions ns and an d bill bi llio ions ns of ligh li ght-yea t-years rs away. aw ay. You believe that I’ that I’m m inca in capa pabl blee of unde un dersta rstand ndin ing g wha wh a t you yo u secretl secre tlyy talk ta lk abou ab outt and an d your yo ur dail da ilyy lif li fe affai affairs. rs. But Bu t you yo u couldn’t be more wrong. I am closer than the very heart that umps umps inside your chest cavity.” ca vity.” Humans are three-dimensional beings. Because humans are part pa rt of o f the th e th t h ree-dim ree-dimens en s ion onal al realm realm,, once on ce the th e three t hree-di -dim mens en s ion onal al realm realm came came into being, being , it it becam bec amee part p art of o f the fourth-dimens fourth-dimens ion onal al realm realm and an d is , theref th erefore, ore, under un der its rule. rule. When the three-dimensional realm was created, it becam be camee s us ceptible cep tible to infinity nfinity;; and an d when time time came came into nt o exi exis tence, ten ce, becaus bec aus e it it also als o is part pa rt of the threeth ree-dim dimen enss ion onal al realm realm, we became susceptible to eternity. This principle applies to all humans whether they are Christians or non-believers. We, the three-dimensional beings, were created as beings that are under infinity and eternity. Therefore, whether we are sitting, standing, sleeping, or awake, we are under God’s rule. This is an important beginn be ginniing to the th e un und d ersta ers tand ndiing of Go d b eing in ou ourr li lives ve s . The Th e law of the th e hi h igh gher er dimens dimens ion ruli ruling ov over er the th e lower lower dimens dimens ion onss is s cient cientiificall fically y log ogiical. The first first dimens dimens ion is un under der the t he control con trol o the second dimension; the second dimension is under the control con trol of the third third dim dimens ion on;; and an d the third third dim dimens ion is un under der
the control of the fourth dimension. That is why God, who is eternal and infinite and who lives in the fourth dimension, can rule everything that is under the three-dimensional world in which we live.
The Three-Dimensional World was Created by the God of the Fourth Dimension
The Bible tells us that God is in all creation, and He transcends all. We can interpret this truth in light of our understanding of the different dimensions. The fourth dimension transcends the third dimension even though they belong to each other; the thir third di d imensi ens ion trans transcends cends the s econd dim dimensi ens ion even thou t hough gh they belong to each other; and the second dimension is over the fir firs t dimens dimens ion even thoug tho ugh h it is is part of it. it. Even Even thoug tho ugh h the th e fourth dimension is susceptible to time and space, it trans transcends cends them both. both . This means that the fourth-dimensional realm is the spiritual world. orld. The boo b ook k of Genes Genes is records that the Earth arth was without tho ut form and void; and it tells us that darkness was on the face o the deep. (See Gen. 1:2). This means that this created world is three-dimensional. Notice how the Holy Spirit hovered over creati creation on like a hen ho hovers vers ov over er her eggs egg s . The Holy Spirit is a Person, a member of the infinite and eternal Godhead. When the Holy Spirit began hovering over the world, His creative work over the three-dimensional
world began. Go d s aid, “L “ Let there th ere be b e lig lig h t” (Gen (Gen.. 1:3, 1:3, NKJV NKJV). ). Immediately, light came into being. Light was created out of the voiid; it didn’t evol vo evo lve from from s om ometh ethiing that th at had h ad exi exis ted before. God then said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters” (Gen. 1:6, KJV). Thereby the firmament came into being. God called the firm firmam amen entt “Heaven “Heav en.” .” Eve Even n in the th e creation c reation of the t he firm firmam amen ent, t, God God created something beautiful from nothingness, and not from something that had existed before. Therefore, we can see that the three-dimensional world did not evolve. The Holy Spirit who belongs to the fourth-dimensional realm personally created it. The fourth-dimensional world is spiritual. Humans belong to the fourth-dimensional world even though they exist in the three-dimensional world, because they are beings that have both bo th s ou oulls and an d s piri pirits . The Th e s pirit pirit of hum h uman an bei be ing ngss is no nott equa eq uall to that of God, but because we were made in the image of God, we are capable of knowing eternity and infinity. The flesh of men and women returns to dirt, but our spirits either go to Heaven or to hell, and we will forever exist in either of these two places places..
From the fourth-dimensional standpoint, human bei be ing ngss are entiti en tities es that th at wil will li live forever foreve r. The Th e hu hum man s piri pirit rules rules over the flesh that comes from the three-dimensional world. I the spirit grieves, then the flesh becomes ill; when the spirit is sound, then the flesh is healthy. The spirit, even though it resides in the flesh, does not succumb to its rule, but trans transcends cends it. The apostle John ascended into Heaven and saw the glory o God. This experience transcended his flesh even though his body bo dy was clearly clearly on the th e Is Islle of Patmos Patmos . He recorded reco rded what he saw in the book of the Revelation. Animals cannot transcend their flesh, or think or speak for that matter. That is because they don don’’t have h ave a s pir pirit. Isn’t that amazing? Because the spirit belongs to the fourthdimensional realm, it transcends the three-dimensional world. We reside in our flesh, but if our three-dimensional bodies die, our spirits aren’t affected by death. The spirit transcends the three-dimensional realm; therefore, it goes directly to our Lord upon death. Human umanss of the the Three-D Three -Dimens imensiona ionall Realm are are Be Bess ieg ie g ed by the the Fourth-Dimensional Realm
Colossians 1:13 says, “He has delivered us from the power o darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His lov ove” e” (NKJ (NKJV V). This verse ve rse explai explains ns that th at when he n we were were sav s aved, ed, we were rescued from Satan’s fourth-dimensional realm and were
delivered into the holy realm where God is. God brought us out of the power of darkness and transf trans ferred erred us into the go good od king ngdo dom m of the Son of o f Hi His lov ove. e. In In other words, the beings that belong to the fourth-dimensional realm are God, humans, and Satan. Currently, in the same fourth-dimensional realm, humans occupy the lowest level. Satan is in the t he mi midd ddlle lev level el,, and God is at the t he highes highe s t level. level. The fourth-dimensional realm occupies the three-dimensional realm; becau be causs e of thi th is , hum h uman anss rule rule ov over er the t he three-dim th ree-dimen enss ion onal al realm. realm. Also, because humans are spiritual beings, they can bring change to the three-dimensional realm through creating and inventing.
Satan, too, belongs to the fourth-dimensional realm. That is why he tries to control the three-dimensional realm and hum hu man bei be ing ngss with withiin the th e lower lower realm realm.. Through Throug h hum h umans ans he rules rules over the third-dimensional realm, and he carries out all sorts o evil deeds within that realm. When we look at the history o civilization, there have been many figures that were given over to evil, including dictators, who have led their civilizations to ruin. uin. Under the control con trol of Satan, they carri carried ou outt horr h orrend endou ouss ly evil deeds because their spirits and thoughts were under the control con trol of the evil on one. e. Satan, who took control of Germany’s Hitler, for example, led the Nazi leader to cause the genocide of over six million Jews and the spread of destruction and terror throughout Europe.
Hitler was eventually driven into the corner of defeat, where he eventually committed suicide. Likewise, Satan entered the emperor of imperialistic Japan. Through him the evil one initiated many wars and spilled the blood of thousands in his attempt attempt to devour devo ur the As ian conti con tinent. nent. That’s not all. Satan entered Judas Iscariot and influenced him to sell Jesus, the Son of God, for thirty silver coins. If one does not place himself or herself in God, he or she places hims hims elf or hers h erself elf unde un derr the th e influe nfluenc ncee of the th e evi ev il si s ide o the th e fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al realm realm.. Those who accept Christ as their Savior, however, enter into God’s eternal, fourth-dimensional realm after being rescued from the part of the fourth-dimensional realm that is governed by hu hum mans an s and an d Satan. Sata n. Thes The s e bel be lievers ev ers have ha ve been be en rescu res cued ed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Those who are saved are granted eternal life through God’s fourth-dimensional realm. And our spirit, heart, and thoughts are completely filled with Go d’s fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al realm realm.
Moving and Using the Spiritual Forces of the Fourthimension imensi ona al Realm Realm
What are we, who were moved to the holy, spiritual realm by bel be lievi ev ing in Jes us Ch ris ris t, s up uppo poss ed to do do?? We mus mus t no now w thi th ink about how we can bear good works and how we ought to live throug th rough h thi th is fourth-dimens fourth-dimens ion onal al realm realm..
The three-dimensional realm is dependent upon how the fourth-dimensional realm operates. The spiritual realm dominates the physical world. The things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Those who are saved by accepting accep ting Chri Chris t are led by God from from the th e mom moment ent they th ey are born bo rn again. The Holy Spirit comes into the three-dimensional realm of believers and fills up their spirits. That’s why they are alw always un under der the influen nfluence ce of o f God God.. It It is for that reason eas on that we cannot live by ourselves ourselves and unto u nto ourselves ourselves any long longer er.. Because God dwells in us, whenever we watch pornographic magazines or media, we are viewing these things with God. Whenev Wh enever er we we try to s teal or cheat s om omeon eone, e, we we do d o it wi with God od.. So how can we stand to do such things? How does doing thes e thi th ing ngss aff affect the t he God God who dwell dwells within us ? Remember, God is already inside the three-dimensional realm. That is how He extends eternity and infinity to us. From God we obtain the ability to rule the three-dimensional realm. That ability is realized in and through our dreams. The one who dreams dreams can change chan ge the three-di three-dim mens ion onal al world. orld. This This do does es no nott require someone who studies well or is smart. God wants us to dream and He wants our dreams to be fulfilled. This brings glory to Him as we more fully enjoy the already blessed life God has ordained for us. Therefore, I urge you to fill up your thoughts, heart, and behavior with God’s fourth-dimensional realm. Then you will experience a brand-new life that you have never nev er experi experien enced ced before.
Your Invi nvi tation tation to Oper Operat atee i n the Fourth-Dimens ourth-Dimensii onal onal Realm Four Fo ur Elements El ements of Change
What do you suppose one will need in order to operate in the fourth-dimensional world? In order to move the fourthdimen dimenss ion onal al worl world, d, four fou r elem elemen ents ts are requi requ ired: Thinking, Faith, reaming, and Words . Our lives will change once we accurately accurately know how thes th esee elem element entss work and when we have h ave a prope pro perr hand ha ndlle on them th em.. Pray Prayer er by its elf is n’t s ufficient ufficient.. Certainly we need prayer; but first, change must be brought to the invisible fourth-dimensional realm before changes can occu oc curr in in the t he visi vis ible, thi th ird-dimen rd-dimenss ion onal al realm realm.. The first dimension, as we said before, is embedded within the second dimension; the second dimension is embedded in the third; and the third is embedded in the fourth. Therefore, in order to change the one-dimensional realm, the twodimensional realm must be changed; and, likewise, to change the two-dimensional realm, the third-dimensional realm must be changed. This means that ultimately the fourth-dimensional realm must be changed before any changes can take place with withiin the th e third-di t hird-dim mens en s ion onal al realm realm.. Now, Now, the th e chan ch ange gess that th at are des de s ired in the th e fourthfou rthdimensional realm depend entirely on what one does with his or her thinking, faith, dreaming, and words – the four critical
elements that are needed to realize these vital changes. Only through these means can our lives be changed. How then can we change chang e thes e elem element entss ? The Firs ir s t Ele Elem ment: Think Thinking ing
God gave us the ability to think so that we may bring changes to the fourth-dimensional realm. We cannot account for thinking in three-dimensional terms. Thinking only occurs in the fourth-dimensional realm. Thinking doesn’t have thickness or width, and it isn’t visible. Thinking is eternal and infinite. Therefore, Therefore, it’s it’s part pa rt of the fourth fou rth dimens dimens ion on.. Man’ Man ’s imaginati aginat ion is als als o part pa rt of the t he fourth-dimens fourth-dimens ion onal al realm realm.. Changes within one’s thoughts are reflected in the threedimensional realm. The Bible, as we pointed out before, tells us that things we see are not made from visible things. A person whose thinking, which is part of the fourth-dimensional realm, is negative will be met with misfortunes in the thirddimen dimenss ion onal al realm realm.. If If the thou th ough ghts ts withi th in his head he ad are: “I’m “I’m no nott qualified,” or “I can’t do it,” or “I’m miserable and sad,” then those thoughts will ultimately become manifest in his or her actions in the third-dimensional world. These thoughtmanifestations will take place in their bodies, finances, work place p lacess , etc. Through thoughts – a driving force in the fourthdimensional realm – everything in the human body and the world orld comes comes to pas p asss . Consequently, an optimist experiences an unfolding of events
in his three-dimensional realm with positive outcomes. Such thoughts as these: “I’m healthy,” “I’m well-established,” and “I’m “I’m happ ha ppy y and a nd well ell” wil will have hav e trem t remend endou ouss effect effectss in hi h is or her three-dim th ree-dimen enss ion onal al realm realm. For instance, if I willfully decide to hold a grudge against someone, I am programing my mind with hateful thoughts, which will have direct consequences with regard to my actions tow to ward the th e oth o ther er person pers on in the th e threeth ree-dim dimens ens ion onal al realm realm.. If If I hate hat e another being, I will get hurt first. That’s why Jesus tells us to love our enemies. Through loving, forgiving, and praying for our enemies, we may well be doing more good for ourselves than th an for them th em.. Despising my enemy calls forth destruction in my own three-dimensional realm. The Bible teaches that a person consists of what he or she thinks about. (See Prov. 23:7). If I think bad thoughts and wish for another’s ruin, then my ill intentions will get recorded in my three-dimensional realm and will gradually lead me to receive what I wish for the other pers pe rson on.. That’ Tha t’ss why I s ay that th at when I cont co ntem emplate plate an evi ev il thou th ough ght, t, that th at evi ev il thoug tho ught ht will affect affect me me before b efore it it will affect affect the t he other person. person . It is important for us to know what we’re thinking. I we constantly slander and speak ill of others, then such thoughts get recorded within us, and all those evil thoughts will be summoned to destroy ourselves in our threedimensional world. We often feel badly in our body and mind
after we we s peak pe ak of others oth ers’’ flaws flaws and an d ridicul ridiculee them t hem in ou ourr cli cliqu ques es.. That is because those very evil and negative thoughts that we have voiced soon travel directly to our three-dimensional realm. In the th e fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al realm realm, there the re is is no You ou-and -and-I -I distinction. There exist only messages. If a message gets recorded in thought within the fourth-dimensional realm, it exerts influence first over our bodies and our daily living. Therefore, Therefore, there are no s ecrets. ecrets . Everyth Everythiing appears app ears in its its barest bares t form before be fore God God with withiin the th e fourth fo urth-dim -dimen enss ion onal al realm realm. If, for some reason, we take on some negative thought, we need to be cured through the Word of God, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. God’s Word is part of the fourth-dimensional realm, and it is spirit and life. (See John 6:63). His Word has the ability to correct people’s thoughts, to transform their minds, and to change their attitudes. Our threedimen dimenss ion onal al realm realm expe experi rienc ences es great chang ch angee when our o ur thoug tho ught htss and lives are are transf trans formed ormed by the Wor Wo rd of o f God God..
During my forty-seven-year-long ministry, I have never once thought, “My ministry isn’t doing well.” To the contrary, I always thought, “The ministry is doing well.” I would tell myself, “The membership of the congregation is increasing,” and “Miracles do occur.” As a result, my positive thoughts from the fourth-dimensional realm transferred over to the three-dimensional realm. That is why my ministry always
grew; it it grew g rew accordi acco rding ng to ho how w my my heart h eart des d esiired it it in faith faith.. Jesus s aid, aid, “According “According to you yourr fai faith th let it it be to you you”” (Matt. 9:29, NKJV). Because this is true, I was able to reap results according to my faith. Everything I thought unfolded accord acc ordiing nglly in my three-dim th ree-dimen enss ion onal al realm realm.. Each believer must change his or her thinking according to God’s Word; in so doing he or she is thinking accordi acco rding ng to the th e fourth-di fou rth-dim mens en s ion onal al realm realm,, which which is revealed in the Bible. As this happens, God’s creative work and manifes anifestations tations s hall come come to pas s in our o ur li lives . The Second Element: Faith The second s econd elem element ent that t hat can br b ring about abou t change ch ange in our fourthfourth faith th . Faith is a source of powerful dimensional realm is fai strength that can be utilized to bring about a complete change in our three-dimensional realm through the fourth-dimensional realm. The Scripture says, “According to your faith let it be to you” (Matt. 9:29, NKJV), and “If you can believe, all things are pos po s s ible to hi h im who beli b eliev eves es ” (Mark 9:23, NKJV NKJV). ). And Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will mov ove” e” (Matt. (Mat t. 17: 17:20, NKJ NKJV V). That’s That ’s becau be causs e faith faith bel be lon ongs gs to the th e fourth dimension, but the mountain belongs to the third dimension. No matter how big and powerful something is, if it’s in the third-dimensional realm, it can’t do anything by itself. The power to move it is embedded in the fourth-dimensional
realm; therefore, change must occur there before any change can take place within the three-dimensional realm, which is included in the fourth-dimensional realm. Jesus, too, carried out all His miracles in the threedimensional realm from the faith that comes from the fourthdimensional realm. The Bible says, “ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17, NIV). Even people who are without faith in Christ work
with some type of conviction or belief. Conviction falls under the category of faith, but conviction is only three-dimensional faith. Animals can’t believe because they don’t have a spirit. Only humans hum ans can have hav e fai faith becaus b ecausee they do have s pir pirits. ts . One One mus mustt have faith in the Holy Spirit before he or she can move the three-dimensional realm. Faith isn’t something you can keep or dis dis card; it’ it’ss an abs olute olute ess es s ential. ential. That’s That’s why we mus mus t always always live by faith. aith. And A nd we mus mus t confes co nfesss ou ourr fai faith. th. I always “program” myself by confessing my faith no matter what I am doing, whether I’m sitting down or driving or doing something else. For instance, I confess sayings such as the following: “I believe in Jesus Christ, my personal Savior and Lord;” “I received forgiveness through the precious blood o Jesus Christ;” “I believe in the Holy Spirit who sanctifies me;” “I believe I shall be healed from sickness;” “I believe I shall be bless bles s ed;” ed ;” “I bel be lieve ev e in the th e Resu es u rrect rrectiion and an d in everl ev erlas as ting life in heaven;” and “I believe I’m a citizen of God.” I am always
program pro gramiing my s elf in faith faith.. I enco en courag uragee yo you u to do the th e s ame. ame. I want an t you y ou to s ee how h ow doi do ing thi th is wil will affect affect yo your ur whole li life. You our r life wi will surel su rely y chang ch angee when yo you u program prog ram yo yours ursel elff in in faith aith.. The Third Element: Dreaming
Another element that plays a role in your programing in the fourth-dimensional realm is dreaming . God tells us that those who do not dream shall perish. (See Prov. 29:18). We need to dream the dreams of God, which come from the fourth dimension. This gives hope to us in the third-dimensional realm. Even when we look at non-believers, we often see that it is those who have dreams that bring changes to the world. Now, if believers would only dream in God, who is in absolute control and has dominion over dreams, then our dreams would be more powerful. If we dream the kinds o dreams that God has in store for us, then nothing from the world can stop us from moving the world around us. Therein lies an impo porrtant po poiint that we need n eed to take take note n ote of. The The kind ndss of dreams we dream in God are very different than the dreams that consist of personal ambitions or selfish greed, which are influenced greatly by Satan. We must learn to distinguish between be tween the th e two type ty pess of dreams dreams .
From his childhood on Napoleon dreamed o unifying Europe, which had been segregated for so long. As a
result, he ultimately caused quite a commotion in Europe and broug bro ught ht abou ab outt many an y chan ch ange gess . Hitler Hitler,, likewis ewis e, dreamed dreamed of conquering the entire continent of Europe with his “Aryan race.” Such dreams are rooted in ambition. The people o Europe had to pay the dear price of bloodshed for Hitler’s ambitions, which ultimately devastated Europe. Marx and Lenin dreamed of turning the entire world into a system o communism. Their ambitions perished ultimately, but not before be fore s tarti ta rtin n g nu num merous erou s ethn et hniic confl co nfliicts ct s in the th e threeth reedimen dimenss ion onal al realm realm of eas tern Europe, urop e, As A s ia, and an d A fri frica. Weak dreams are no match for powerful dreams. It’s important to know that Satan’s dreams are much more powerful than those of a human. But God’s dreams are much more powerful than those of Satan or those of human beings. Therefore, we must strive to dream dreams that God desires for us to dream through the help of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who allows us to dream. We must program our hearts with dreams that th at are hol ho ly and an d s anctif anc tifiied by b y the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit. t. We can gain good insights into someone’s future by noting the kinds of dreams he or she dreams and shares with others. In ligh lightt of o f this this , I cons con s tantl tan tly y s tress the impo porrtance of what what I call call the “Fivefold Gospel and Threefold Blessing” principle. Throu Through gh it, one can learn learn to t o cul cu ltivate tivate his or o r her dreams dreams through throug h the cross. In this way we cultivate dreams that prosper in all things things as our soul pros prosper perss .
The Fivefold Gospel involves repentance, faith, confession, regeneration, and salvation. The power of the Holy Spirit is active in each of these elements, and He enables us to walk in newness of life, to be filled with His presence, and to experience wholeness of mind, body, and spirit. He comes to dwell within us (see Rom. 8:11); He frees us from the law of sin and death (see Rom. 8:1-2); He enables us to become the chi ch ild ren of o f God God (s (see ee John Jo hn 1:12); and an d thro t hroug ugh h Him Him we are able to enjoy enjoy the bless ing ngss God has prepared for for us. us . (See (See 3 John 2). As we apply the Fivefold Gospel to our lives by faith, we are able to experience what I call the Threefold Blessing. It is a bless bles s ing for ou ourr b od odiies , s ou oulls , and an d s piri pirits . It is a bless bles s ing o wholeness and completion in Christ. The reason Jesus went through all the persecution, suffering, torture, and anguish that culminated in His death on the cross was to redeem us from all our sins and iniquities. When He cried, “It is finished,” He carried upon himself all of our past, pres ent, en t, and an d future futu re si s ins . This enab en ablled u s to b e cleans clean s ed and an d to to beco be com me righ righte teou ouss before be fore God God.. The Son of God, who is the source of all our blessings, destr des troyed oyed the forces forces of condemnati condemnation on thr th roug ough h the s hedding o His blood, and we have been cleansed and forgiven. He has remov removed ed all all hatred, ha tred, anxi anxiety, nervous nervou s nes s , fear fear,, dis dis appointm app ointmen ent, t, and death from us because He loves us. As a result of His death on the cross, we can now experience His supernatural
peace pe ace and a nd His His abun ab unda danc ncee in in every ev ery area of o f ou ourr liv es, es , and we can walk alk in di d ivine health h ealth and an d the t he ass as s urance uranc e that t hat we wi will live foreve forever r with Him. o matter att er how ho w diff diffiicul cu lt you y ourr circum circumss tances tan ces migh ghtt be b e righ rightt now n ow,, if you will dream fourth-dimensional dreams in your heart, your dreams will seize the three-dimensional realm and change it. Fourth-dimensional dreams are incubated in the threedimensional realm. No matter how chaotic or empty one’s life might be, if he or she will fill his or her life with proper dreams, changes will surely follow – from death to life, from chaos to order, from darkness to light, and from poverty to prosperity. Remember, those changes come from the fourth-dimensional realm. We often pray diligently in order to find fulfillment for our dreams. When you are in prayer, you should activate the “program” that moves your fourth-dimensional realm. And in order to make your dreams clear and definite, be sure to fast whil hile you yo u pr p ray. By By s o doi d oing ng yo you u are able to clear up the fou ourrthdimensional realm. If you think you can move God’s heart by fasting alone, however, you are wrong. Fasting is done first in order to change oneself. In the process, your fourthdimensional realm will change along with your threedimensional realm. As this happens, God will now be able to work through you. In other words, God begins working as we allow our body, soul, and spirit to change. So, fast, pray, and give all you’ve got. Then you’ll see that your dreams will no longer remain simply dreams, but they will become reality in
your yo ur life. life.
The Fourth Element: Words
Throu Through gh words we are are able able to expres expresss ou ourrs elves elves , and this is an ability that is exclusive to humans. Humans started and developed their civilization and culture through words. Animals, no matter how ferocious or strong they may be, do not plan, start, or cultivate civilizations. That’s because they lack a very basic element that is needed – the fourthdimen dimenss ion onal al elem element ent of words words . A nimal nimalss do no nott us e lan langu guag age. e. The Bible says, “…you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth” (Prov. (Prov. 6:2, NIV), ” and, “Death and life are in the power po wer of the th e tong to ngue ue,, and an d tho th o s e who lov ovee it wil will eat its fruit” fruit” (Prov. 18:21, NKJV). Matters of life and death are three-dimensional, but our tongue is of the fourth dimension. The above scriptural pas pa s s ages ag es allud alludee to ho how w p owerfu owerfu l on one’ e’ss words actua act uallly are. Successful people usually know to be careful with their words. The kind kindss of words words they utter utt er ref refllect the t he conditi con dition onss within thei th eir r three-dimensional realm. Successful people often claim that what they hope and dream for has already been fulfilled. But unsuccessful people fail already in the kinds of words they choose choos e to use and speak sp eak.. The Bible teaches us to profess our dreams and
desires in words. That is why our ears and hearts must be exposed often to the Word of God. We need to proclaim the truth of the Scri Scriptur ptu res and the promi promis es of God God with ou ourr voice, voice, speaking their words of truth and life wherever we go. It is worthless for one to wish for success in his third-dimensional realm realm when he h e or she s he has h as already already s po pok ken words of fai faillure in in the t he fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s io nal na l realm. realm. Jes Jes us s aid, aid, “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in hea heave ven, n, an and d wha whateve teverr you loose on ea earth rth will be loosed in he heave aven” n” (Matt. 18:18, NIV). This means that everything is either bound or
loosed through our words. Negative words lead to bad program pro gramiing o f on one’ e’ss fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al realm realm. W hen he n on onee slanders or speaks ill of others, he or she is programing his or her fourth-dimensional realm with negative words, and these words will end up becoming a curse in his or her threedimen dimenss ion onal al realm realm.. Obv Obviiou ouss ly, theref th erefore, ore, a great g reat deal d eal hing hinges es on what com co mes ou outt of our mou mouths ths . How do we change the words we utter? God made it possible for us to chan c hange ge the t he words words we speak s peak through His Word, Word, whi which ch is life and spirit. When we read the Scriptures, we need to memorize and recite them. In this way we are programing our fourth-dimensional realm. When pastors proclaim God’s Word from their pulpits, the results are powerful, for they rattle their lis teners’ ten ers’ fourth-dimens fourth-dimens ion onal al realm realm in the th e pr p roces oc esss . That is why, when people live obedient and faithful lives before God accordi acco rding ng to His His Word, Word, their t heir entire entire lives lives experi experienc encee a complete complete chang cha nge. e. This This is a mi miraculou raculouss work of God God.. It’s It’s never ne ver too to o late for
yo u to begi you beg in to effect effect thes th esee changes chan ges in you y ourr life thr th rou ough gh God od’’s Word. I challenge you, therefore, to bring your words in line with God od’s ’s Word. W ord. How is Your Fourth-D Fourth-Dii mens i onal onal S piri ir i tual tual World Worl d?
Satan has taken over today’s world completely. The private lives of people, society in general, and the family in particular are under his sway. We live in a world of darkness, and this makes living in this t his world orld feel hollow hollow to mos t. What W hat s ho hould uld we do about this? We ought to incubate our surrounding environment with fourth-dimensional thinking through faith, dreaming, and our words. Then everything will change. We need to thoroughly examine what we say, think, believe, and dream. And we must realize that such things are of the fourthdimensional realm, which seriously shakes and rattles our three-dim th ree-dimen enss ion onal al realm realm. In or o rder for for our li lives , bus ines s es, es , and mi minis nis tries tries to s ucceed, ucceed , we we need to diagnose and pinpoint what elements of our fourthdimensional realm must be changed so that our threedimensional realm will move accordingly. This will enable our plans to be fulfi fulfillled, ed , and an d then th en we wil will reali realize s ucces uc ces s in ou our r endeavors. Depending on our situation, we need to know what element of our fourth-dimensional realm needs to be changed. Do we need to change our thinking, our dreaming, our words, or all three? Once we identify our weak element(s), we can then nourish it/them with God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spiri Spiritt and prayer praye r. As we do s o, our o ur threeth ree-dim dimens ens ion onal al li lives ve s will
experience phenomenal changes. God revealed His fourth-dimensional spiritual realm to me and led me to write a book about it. It was first written in English, and people from the Americas, Europe, and Africa read that book bo ok and expe experi rien enced ced remark remarkab ablle chan ch ange gess in the t heiir lives ve s . Fo urth-Dimensi h-Dimension onal al Spiri Sp iritu tual alit ityy in a ThreeThree This new book, Fourt imensional World , was written to provide the reader with an easier understanding of the fourth-dimensional realm and to offer practical guidelines to enable them to apply these princ princiip les in their th eir li liv es. es . I may no nott know much uc h abou ab outt geo ge o metry et ry or mathematics, but I have learned and discovered that the concept of one dimension is imaginary, and by fate it has come under the rule of the two-dimensional realm. Once the twodimensional realm came into being, it became dominated by the three-dimensional realm, and the three-dimensional realm is subsequently governed by the fourth-dimensional realm. When humans are born, whether they like it or not, they are governed go verned by God od,, who who rules ules the fou ourrth dimens dimens ion on.. That’s That’s why we mus mus t do d o everyth ev erythiing for God od..
Without knowing this important truth, believers in Christ will frequently take on foolish thoughts. For example, they may think that God is greatly distant from them. We must believe that our prayers are not prayed in vain and that they are all lifted up to God. We must likewise believe that they will be answered in due time. People who are saved come directly under the control of the Holy Spirit, and in Him are full of the
gospel of Christ and all His blessings. A person who knows, bel be lieves ev es , dreams dreams , and an d s peaks pe aks thes th es e facts wil will exp exp erien erience ce the th e bless bles s ing ngss of God on a dai da ily bas ba s is . He or s he wil will kno know w tha t hatt all things in hi h is or her li life wil will prosper pros per as his his or her sou s oull prospers pros pers.. (See 3 John 2). This is something God has already promised to us;; it is us is a s oli olid fact of o f our fai faith. th. The reason we can’t dwell in God’s promises, even though we have faith in Him, is because we fail to program our fourthdimensional realm properly. We need to make our fourthdimensional program – to think, believe, dream, and speak according to the Scriptures – the focus of our daily living. Then we shall s hall experi experien ence ce God od’s ’s wonderf wond erful ul work workss in ou ourr li lives . Our prayers need fourth-dimensional programing in order for thei the ir power to becom bec omee man maniifest. fest . Praying Praying is the th e work o lifting up newly programed elements of the fourth-dimension into God’s kingdom. After we reprogram our fourthdimensional realm and pray to God, He will carry out His prom pro mis es accord acc ordiin g to ou ourr faith faith.. The Script Scripture ure reveals reve als to us that this will happen through our thinking, our faith, our dreams, and our words. The responsibility is ours. Therefore, it is vitally important for us to program our fourth-dimensional realm ourselves; God will then carry out His work in our behalf. It should not be surprising that we find the following entreaty in our Lord’s Prayer: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV). The reason we pray, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13, NKJV), is so that God’s will would be accomplished in our
lives and an d in the world. orld. God told Adam to “fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over [be masters of] the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground [all the ani an imals]” als ]” (Gen (Gen.. 1: 1:28, NIV NIV). This This s ho hows ws us that th at we may may prog pro g ram our fourth-dimensional realm in such a way that we will be able to rule rule over o ver all creation creation.. Psalm 81 says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” (Ps. 81:10, NKJV). The mouth, as I pointed out earlier, refers here to the fourth dimension. It is God’s promise that He will help us in all areas of our lives when we program our fourthdimen dimenss ion onal al realm realm accord acc ordiing to His His wil will and an d His His W ord. ord . If we take heed to all these biblical truths about fourthdimensional spirituality and apply them to our lives, we will definitel definitely y ex e xperi pe rienc encee chang ch ange. e. From From no now w on, ins ins tead tea d of o f spea s peak king ill of others or deprecating them in any way, you will fill your mouth with whatever you gather from your fourth-dimensional realm. You will speak words of life and victory without any wrath or o r doubt dou btiing ng.. You You wil will becom bec omee an encou en courager. rager. We cannot hide from God. We have been taken over by God’s fourth-dimensional realm, and are standing bare before Him. I we program our fourth-dimensional realm well, He will pour out His blessings upon us and through us. It’s never too late to begin. be gin. Start no now w with with thi th is reprogram reprog ramiing ng.. If yo you u do do,, yo you u wil will beco be com me a new ne w pers pe rson on.. You are des de s tined to s uccee uc ceed. d. If yo you u
incorporate the program of the Holy Spirit – which is fully revealed in the Word – into your life, you will experience the marvelous workings of God’s creative power. This is a deeply profou pro found nd truth trut h that th at God has ha s reveal revea led to me. I s incerel nc erely y ho hope pe you can experience the fourth dimension in your life and let it reach ou outt to t o yo your ur surr s urrou ound ndiing envi env iron onm ment. It’s It’s tim time for you to train your fourth-dimensional thinking, faith, dreams, and words in the Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit. Already, your life has begun to change! ch ange!
1 Thinking
Change Your Thinking to Correspond to the Fourthimensional Realm.
The Bible says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but bu t to be s piri pirituall tu ally y mi min ded de d is life life and peace pe ace”” (Rom (Rom.. 8: 8:6, NKJV NKJV). ). You can thi th ink with with yo your ur fles flesh h or with with yo your ur spir s piriit. The Scriptures reveal how important it is for humans to dwell on the fle lesh sh ] thinking s piri piritual tu al thinki thinking rather than th an “worldly” “worldly” [of the f thinking.. Paul the apostle tells us more about this important subject: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Rom. 8:5-7, NKJV). This pas pa s s age ag e serve s ervess as a sta s tark rk remi remind nder er to us u s with with regard rega rd to ho how w we s ho houl uld d be thi th inking nking..
Thinking Influences Behavior
To the extent that we mentally map out our plans for success and carry out those plans accordingly, our assurance of success increases. However, if a person is more focused on failure than on success, the likelihood of his or her failure will increase. When our minds dwell upon success, our thinking will yield positive outcomes, and the fulfillment of our dreams will will b e ex e xp edi ed ited te d .
Instead of gradually developing toward a goal, the human ps yche yc he tend te ndss to make a qu quan antu tum m leap towar to ward d s om omet ething hing when a certain level of attainment has been reached. Many athletes bel be lieved ev ed for a lon long g ti t ime tha t hatt hum h uman an bei be ing ngss could co uld not n ot run a mi mile in four minutes or less. They used to have a saying, “the fourminu nute te jinx jinx,” ,” wi with regard to thi th is belief. belief. In thos th os e day d ayss , whe whenev never er track-and-field tournaments were held, even world-class runners couldn’t complete the mile within four minutes. That was until Roger Bannister came along. He broke through that false barrier in 1954. Roger Bannister began employing different running styles on his own in order to break the “four-minute jinx.” He believed it was po poss s ible to run the t he four-m four-minu nute te mile, and to reali realize hi h is go goal al,, he spent time changing his running style, and more impo porrtantl tan tly y, his his thoug tho ught ht patterns pat terns.. As a result, res ult, Rog Roger er Bann Banniis ter becam be camee the th e firs firstt man to run a mile with withiin four fou r minu nute tess .
Amazingly, after he broke through this barrier and destroyed the jinx, athletes around the world began to run the mile in four minutes or less! Bannister’s change in thinking and believing helped helped to chan c hange ge everyone’s ev eryone’s thinki thinking about abo ut runni runn ing the mi mile. Unlike Bannister, other athletes did not attempt to change their running style and old patterns. What they finally changed, though, as they followed in Bannister’s footsteps, was their thinking. They told themselves and proclaimed to others, “I can do it!” Once they started believing that they were able to run faster as ter,, their their action actionss followed ollowed thei th eirr though thou ghts ts and everythi everyth ing bega be gan n to chan ch ange ge.. Once yo you u s tart ta rt bel be lievi ev ing that th at s om omet ething hing is pos po s s ible, the th e likeliho elihoo o d of yo your ur taki ta king ng the th e acti act ion to achi ach ieve ev e that th at go goal al wi will greatly increase. increas e. Thinking hink ing Inf nfluences luences Your our Phy P hyss ical ic al Resp Res ponses ns es
Yes, es , thinki thinking ng infl influences uen ces yo your ur phys phy s ical respo es pons nses es.. Whenever When ever you watch absorbing movies or read books, newspaper articles, or magazine articles, and imagine something depicted in writing or from an image, your body will react accordingly. Whenever you imagine something that is light and humorous, your body will feel light and energized. Thinking about scary s cenes from a horr h orror or mov moviie, on the other oth er hand, hand , wi will caus e you y our r heart rate to rise. Similarly, imagining a romantic scene will stir excitem excitemen entt with withiin yo you. u. Athletes, therefore, should train mentally before engaging in phys ph ys ical training training.. There The re is is a power po werful ful link between bet ween th t h inkin nkin g and an d
phys ph ys ical respo res pon n s es . Mana Ma nage gers rs and an d coach co aches es often ofte n give inspiring talks, hoping for adrenaline to be released within the bodies bo dies of their th eir team te am memb emb ers. ers . Shoot Sho oters ers and an d archers arch ers uti ut ilize thinking to achieve calmness in their hearts and greater confi con fide dence nce withi th in. Likewise, swimmers and track runners train their minds to imagine themselves in actual matches and competitions. According to research, when athletes engage in s uch thinki thinking ng,, their their bo bodi dies es actual actu allly react to what they s ee with with their mind’s eye, and certain muscles constrict as they would duri du ring ng real perf pe rform orman ances ces . You ourr menta mentall attitude can als als o have h ave an eff effect on yo your ur health. health. They say the type of mental attitude a patient takes on after bei be ing diagno diag noss ed with with cancer can cer may hel he lp to dete de term rmiine ho how w lon ong g he or she will live. For instance, a person who accepts the diagn diagnos os is of cancer as a death d eath s entence ente nce will immediately ediately caus e hims hims elf elf or hersel herse lf to fall fall into nt o des d espair pair and an d con c ontem template plate deat d eath h and an d the funeral ceremony. Consequently, this person will not live as long as another person who thinks more optimistically and remai remains ns ho hopeful. peful. Thinki Thinking ng is an actual actu al s ub ubss tance tan ce that th at can yiel yield d ei e ither opti op tim mis tic tic results or the opposite. Thinking cannot be seen through phys ph ys ical eyes ey es , bu butt it is an impo portan rtantt elemen elementt o f the th e fourth fou rth dimension that determines all aspects of one’s life in a threedimensional world. Therefore, change your thinking and apply it to your life. As you do so, you will experience amazing life-
changing res resul ults ts..
1. Think in God God’s ’s Ways. Wa ys.
Unconditional optimism is humanistic thinking. What we need, instead, is God’s thinking. This comes to us as we meditate on the Scriptures. As we converse with God, He will lead us to examine our lives, reflect upon our lives, repent o anything that is contrary to Him, and change our way o thinking. Thinking influences your feelings and behaviors, as well as your physical body. It is wrong to assume, however, that thinking positively alone will solve all our problems. Such pos po s itive thi th inking nking may be fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal, al, bu butt it’s t’s nevertheless still human thinking. Powerful fourth-dimensional thinking has its foundation in the Holy Spirit, the Word, and prayer. pray er. The Word of God and prayer in the Holy Spirit are power po werful ful means ean s to s eek new ne w way wayss or solut s olutiion onss for deal dea ling with with problem pro blemss , becau be causs e they th ey s ho how w us ho how w to discern dis cern threeth reedimensional circumstances in their positive, negative, or neutral states. That is why we must begin thinking in God’s ways, ays , not our o ur own. own. Apply the Scriptures in Your Thinking
The Word possesses amazing power. Through the Word, all creation creation came came into exi exis tence, ten ce, and an d throug th rough h the th e Word al a ll miracles racles were accomplished. Jesus, too, used the Word to defeat Satan when He encountered him in the wilderness. If we can take the power po werful ful Word of God and an d perm pe rman anen ently tly focus focu s on it in ou our r thinking and apply it to our lives, we shall experience amazing changes chan ges in our ou r lives . Firs t, you need n eed to have the t he Word Word alw always at your yo ur dis dis pos al and nott jus no jus t be b e content con tent with s imply ply reading reading it. We We need to hide hide the t he Word in our hearts and have certain verses committed to memory for immediate use in spiritual combat. Nothing is more effective than the Word of God for use in fighting against an evil spirit. Therefore, it is critical to set aside time to memorize the Word so you can apply it to your life. Keep memorizing verses so you can repeat them if necessary, and keep practi pract icing s o y ou won’t won ’t forget the th e on ones es yo you u alread already y kn ow. ow. Through these means you will be able to take the sword of the Spirit by its handle and use it as your weapon of offense and defense. ext, you must meditate on God’s Word. (See Psalm 1:1-2 and Josh. 1:8). Meditating on the Word helps believers to understand the Scriptures and it reminds them to apply it to their daily lives. Do your best to always meditate on the Word. Medi Med itate tat e as yo you u hear hea r, read read,, stu s tudy, dy, and memori emorizze the t he Word. As a result, your faith and thinking will grow and change, your mind wil will be renewed, rene wed, and an d yo you u wil will be trans tran s formed formed..
I once read a book that was written by Deacon Jung Moonsik, a Sunday school teacher. I was deeply touched by his book. The deaco d eacon n is curr c urrent entlly the t he pr p resi es ident de nt of Yire El Electroni ectron ics, cs , but his initial motive for starting his company was to observe the Lord’s Day so he could faithfully serve as a Sunday school teacher. He quit his work at the company that had required him to work work on Sundays Sund ays and s tarted tarted hi h is own bus iness nes s twel twelve ve years ago. The deacon’s parents passed away when he was only ten. He went on to finish his high school education by attending night school. After working at a company for three years years , he lef leftt to s tart tart his bus b usiiness nes s in a five-pyeo ve-pyeong ng s pace (one room) in a basement with only $500.00, his company pension. In hi h is bo book, ok, he refers refers to tim times du durring thos tho s e early early days d ays when he wanted to end his life because he felt it was too difficult to bear. be ar. One day he heard a preacher say these words: “Don’t be misled by lies and meaningless pursuits, but always remain faithful aithful in God God as yo you u go g o forwar forward, d, not no t payi p aying ng attenti atten tion on to yo your ur immediate circumstances.” These words gave him renewed strength and faith in God, and he used those realizations to over ov ercom comee the t he hardshi hards hips ps of his life. The reason reas on he was able able to bo boun unce ce back b ack fr from a maj major or breakdown, breakdo wn, des de s pai pa ir, and an d hards ha rdship hip was becau be causs e he fed hims hims elf prope pro perl rly y on s piri piritual tu al food. foo d. He enco en cou u raged hims hims elf by heari he aring ng and meditating on the Word of God. He observed the Lord’s
Day, served in the Sunday school, and faithfully tithed and gave additional offerings for missions. He even set up a s cholar cholarss hip hip fund fund for s tudents tuden ts who attended atten ded the churc ch urch. h. Living a godly and faithful life, he is now the pres ident de nt of a bu buss ines ne s s that th at bring bringss in million onss of d ollars ollars in profi pro fits ts . W hat ha t caus cau s ed thi th is man to chan ch ange ge s o dras tically? tically? Deacon Jung lived a life not along the lines of his own thinking but bu t acco acc o rding rding to God od’’s Word. We can glean a val va luable ua ble less les s on from from his life. We can receive receive God od’’s bless bles s ing ngss when we cond co nduct uct ourr li ou lives ve s accordi acco rding ng to God od’’s Word. Therefore, Therefore, I urge yo you u to t o fil fill your yo ur thinking thinking with with God od’s ’s Word. W ord.
Thinking That Becomes More Like the Word
Our thinking is like a football that may bounce off in any direction. This can be very treacherous indeed, especially when our thinking, emotions, and wills get mixed together. The onlly thi on t hing ng that can tam t amee our ou r thinki thinking and help us find a proper path pa th to tread is the th e Word of God od.. If our o ur thi th inking nking is s eized eized b y the Word Word of o f God God and we begi beg in to t o pursu p ursuee a lif life of obedience ob edience to His Word, we then begin to bear fruit for God. This happens as ourr experi ou experienc ences es chang ch angee in in the t he three-di t hree-dim mens en s ion onal al envi env ironment ronment.. Through God’s Word we are able to change completely the way we think t hink.. That’s That’s becaus bec aus e God God’’s Word is is the th e li living word of o f God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and power po werful ful,, and an d s harper ha rper than th an any an y two-edge two-ed ged d s word, piercing piercing
even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (NKJV). Only through God, who bestows His power upon us, can we overcome all of our circumstances. Paul writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13, KJV). We realize the truth of this verse when we place our total tot al faith aith in God God.. Throu Through gh His Word, our tendency tend ency to give give up up will change radically.
God paid a dear price by sacrificing His Son on the cross, and through the shed blood of Christ He gave us all we need. Therefore, Therefore, we we mus mus t neve n everr forget forget that th at we are able able to carry carry out o ut all all things in Christ, who conquered the three-dimensional world. Even when we pass through the gloomy valley of death, as long as we trus trustt that God is with us u s and that t hat He has placed placed us s afel afely y un under der Hi His wing ngss , we we can have hav e a real, eal, genui genu ine peace. As lon ong g as we have hav e the th e trust trus t in in God God that He is is alw always with us us,, our thou th ough ghts ts wil will chan ch ange ge and an d we wil will thi th ink more more opt o ptiimis tically tically . This will enable us to reel in the strength we need to overcome all despai desp airr and hopeless hopeless ness nes s . When the way we think changes, we will bear spiritual fruit. This happens because the Word of God opens the door to the fourth dimension for us. This enables God’s creative miracles to occur in our lives. Our job is to keep our thoughts and the intenti nten tion onss of our ou r hearts in line with God od’’s Word. Word. As we do d o s o,
we will experience victory, and God’s kingdom will be fully abs orbed in our li lives and in our o ur sur su rrou ound ndiing envi env iron onm ment.
Thinking that Becomes More Like the Holy Spirit
Once we accept Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up His residence in our hearts. He baptizes us, and when we are filled with Him, God’s joy will fill up our hearts. When the disciples gathered in Mark’s upper room on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spiri Spiritt entered en tered into them th em,, and as a result res ult they th ey al a ll receive received da fullness of joy that they had never experienced before. From then on, they were recharged with faith for the Lord, and they were filled with the energy of love. Without joy in our hearts, we have no desire to keep on working for the Lord; consequently, we may give up when diffi difficulti culties es loo oom m in our o ur li lives ve s . Wi With ou ourr joy joy go gone ne and ou ourr energy running low, we won’t be able to accomplish anything. But if we are filled with the Holy Spirit and our hearts are filled with oy, we will become courageous and be able to take on anything any thing that tha t com co mes ou ourr way way.. Whateve Wh ateverr adversi advers ities ties or diff difficult circumstances life might bring to us, with the infilling of the Holy Spirit we are able to overcome them. In this way we will beco be com me vital wi witnes tn es s es in the t he world. world. Peter denied Jesus three times. However, once he was filled
with the Holy Spirit, he witnessed to 3,000 people in one day. On the second day he raised the paralyzed man who was sitting at the entrance to the Temple. Peter also brought 5,000 to repentance and led many souls to Jesus, ultimately beco be com ming o ne of the th e greates great es t biblical biblical leaders ead ers of all time. time. Once the Holy Spirit enters our lives, we are no longer afraid to witness for Jesus Christ, no matter what the cost might be. Such strength and courage are not our own, but they come from from the th e worki working of the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit in our ou r li lives ve s and an d throu t hrough gh us . Jesus’ disciples consisted of fishermen and tax collectors. Mos t of o f them were ere looked looked do dow wn up upon on according according to the world’ orld’ss standards, but they became filled with the Holy Spirit, and joy filled their hearts. Their thoughts were once filled with all the negativity of the world, but these men were changed into courageous, bold and loyal followers of Jesus Christ, which ultimately led them to witness for Jesus and His gospel throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Rome, and to the ends of the th e earth. earth . (See (See Acts A cts 1:8). Once we become filled with the Holy Spirit, our thoughts will beco be com me more more and an d more more li like thos th os e of the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit. As a result, res ult, our thoughts become more positive and creative. Our thinking beco be com mes fil filled with with the th e beli b elief ef that th at anyt an ything hing is po poss s ible throu th rough gh faith faith,, and gradual gradu allly we wil will becom beco me more more courage co urageou ouss .
2. Change Your Your Thinking Thinking With W ith Positive Positi ve Programin Prog raming. g.
No mat matte terr what prob p robllems ems yo you u may may be b e confron co nfronte ted d with with,, change your negative thoughts into positive ones. Like Jesus, who ov over ercam camee death, dea th, you yo u can ov over ercom comee des pair pair. During my forty-seven years of pastoral ministry, I have never held any negative thoughts about the ministry. I always thought, “The church will grow and God will send His sheep.” Whenever negative or despairing thoughts tried to creep into my mind, I confronted them directly as soon as they appeared. I confe confess s ed that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, to those who have been called according to His purpose. (See Rom. 8:28). In this way God God was able able to change my thoug th oughts hts into pos itive tive ones o nes.. Therefore, the proper message from my fourthdimensional realm transferred into my three-dimensional realm, which caused deep changes within me and allowed me to carry on a ministry with a powerful impact. As a result, my ministry was carried out according to what God revealed to me in my heart.
The Saema The Saemauel uel Movement Movement and a Renewing of the Heart
During the Park Jung Hee military regime of the 60’s, an economic revitalization movement began to occur in South Korea. Cou Count ntlless es s people peo ple left left thei th eirr hometo hometowns wns for Seou Seoull. Peo People ple who came to Seoul without any plans settled into areas like
Ahyun-dong and Nhengchun-dong, and they built shacks to liv e in . At that time our church called that area “Heaven #1.” That’s That’s becaus becau s e we knew knew God God wou oulld hel h elp p us u s the mos ostt when we found ourselves in the most desperate circumstances. My ministry partner Choi Ja-sil and I witnessed to the people who were living in the slums. It was then that God initiated a power po werful ful Holy Holy Spiri Spirit mov ovem emen entt in the th e Seodae-ga Seod ae-gate te area through our ministry. I would tell the people, “God baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, allows us to speak in tongues through the Holy Spirit, and perm pe rmiits us the th e nine s piri piritual tu al g ifts throu th roug g h Him Him. So accep acc eptt the th e Holy Spirit. . . .” This was how I witnessed to the people and urged them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and receive His nine spiritual gifts. Moreover, I always stressed to our church members to renew their hearts. Subsequently, the “renewing of the heart” movement began. One day, President Park Jung Hee summoned me to the Blue House and asked me, “Pastor Cho, do you have any idea how to renew our people and to bring changes to our fishing and agrarian agrarian vill villages age s ?” I answered him confidently, “President Park, changes can only come about if we change our thinking. Why don’t you start a
“renewing of the heart” movement to get people to think more optimistically. In many cities, there are churches, so why don’t you start the movement using those churches as the center. I’m I’m s ure you y ou’l ’lll experi experienc encee a won onde derf rful ul suc s ucces ces s .” Right then, President Park called in the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Kim Hyun-oak, and said, “Pastor Cho suggested a ‘renewing of the heart’ movement. What do you yo u thi th ink?” The minister nis ter Kim Kim respo res pond nded, ed, “I thi th ink it’s it’s a great g reat idea. But But it has a religious ring to it. Why don’t we change the name to “Saemauel (li (literall te rally y mean ea n in g , a new village ) mo mo vem ve ment? en t?”” The president then turned to me for my feedback. I told him that no matter what you call it, unless the hearts of people are changed, nothing will succeed. I also emphasized the need to start the “renewing of the heart” movement first so as to bring changes to the hearts of the people. people. Subsequently, however, it was the Saemauel movement that spread throughout the nation like wildfire. But at the th e core of that mov ovem ement ent was the idea of o f changing peop p eoplle’s e’s hearts, and it was the renewing of the heart, with churches serving as the center of the movement, that originally gave birth birth to the th e Saemauel mov movem emen ent. t. I procl proclai aim med the t he mes messs age of hope hop e thr th rou ough gh the “renewi “renewing ng of the heart” movement. The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; beho be holld , all thi th ing ngss hav ha v e beco be com me new” ne w” (2 Cor. or. 5:17 17,, NKJV NKJV). ). I proclai pro claim med the th e po power werful ful mes mes s age ag e of ho hope pe from from God God to get ge t rid rid of some of the negative thoughts in the hearts of the church members. I declared confidently and boldly, “Take on the cando spirit; get rid of any negative ‘let’s give up’ thoughts, and bel be lieve ev e in in God God’s ’s mi miracles racles . . . .” In those days, the living circumstances were so dire for many that no one was able to live through human reasoning alone. Often I proclaimed God’s truths in the following way: “Believe in miracles. The God who once parted the Red Sea and who broug bro ught ht do down wn the t he wall walls of Jerich Jericho o is alive alive and an d well well. Beca Becaus us e o Him, we know poverty and hunger will go away and we shall soon welcome in His blessings. In faith, expect miracles!” I continued to instruct our church members to confess the Scriptures by mouth, to live their lives in faith, and to dream God’s dreams. Again and again, I made them recite certain scriptural passages, such as the following: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13, NKJV); “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpo pu rposs e” (Rom (Rom.. 8:28 28.. NKJV NKJV); ); and, an d, “If yo you u can bel be lieve, ev e, all thi th ing ngss are pos p os s ible to him who bel be lieves ev es ” (Mark 9: 9:23 23,, NKJV NKJV). ). The congregation couldn’t really adapt well to my style o preaching preac hing;; no none neth theles elesss , I reali realized what thi th is s piritu piritual al feedi feed ing was accomplishing for their overall growth. Then, as they
experienced the miracles themselves, they began to proclaim the s ame ame mes messs age to others. o thers.
Big Bi g Thoughts houghts,, Big Bi g Growth rowth
Well ell-kno now wn pas p astors tors in Korea and ar a rou ound nd the world orld cons co nstant tantlly inq nquir uiree abou ab outt the t he ph pheno enom menal en al growth growth of Yoido Yoido Full Full Gos pel Church and its affiliated churches which are led by my proté pro tégé géss . They The y often ofte n s ay that th at there th ere mus t be s om omee “sp “s p eciall ecially kept secret” for growth, so they pressure us to share “the secret” with them. In response to them, I often use an old saying, “Bamboos grow from the bamboo garden.” In this way I attempt to explain the principles and the “secrets” of church growth. My pas pa s torto r-prot protég égés és learn from my ministry nis try s tyl ty le at a t Yoido Full Full Gospel Church, and this gives them a bigger frame of mind. They learn learn about abou t the th e can-do s piri pirit, and we develop develop vis vis ion onss and pas pa s tori to ring ng ph phiilos o ph phiies toge to geth ther er.. During During their th eir training proces pro ces s they take on bigger thoughts and dreams for ministry. Their thinki thinking do does es no nott remai remain n s tatic or cons tant, tan t, but it is dy dynam namiic. It It cons tantly tantly changes chang es and gr g rows into into s om omethi ething ng els els e. These pastors cultivate their thinking until it grows into something larger, and in this way they are able to take on big visions and dreams of big ministries. This is an affirmation o the saying I alluded to earlier about bamboos growing from the
bam ba mbo boo o garden ga rden.. Growth in thi th inkin nkin g has ha s its roots roo ts deep de eplly planted plant ed in mat maturity; urity; it results res ults in bot b oth h qua q uallity and an d qua q uant ntiity. ty . Human thinking has creative power. One’s success in ministry cannot be judged solely on the size of a minister’s church. Churches in fishing and agrarian villages are part o God’s sovereign plan just as are churches in urban areas. The reason reas on I’m I’m talki talking abou ab outt si s ize here, he re, thou th ough gh,, is is in reference reference to t o the t he “size” of one’s thinking. In other words, what ultimately happens is related to the “size” of one’s thinking. If what one thinks is small, the result will be “small” fruit. On the other hand, han d, big big thou th ough ghts ts have hav e the poten p otenti tial al to yi y ield eld “bi “b igg gger er”” fr fruit. What’s more important here, though, is that one must cultivate positive and aggressive fourth-dimensional thinking within the domains of his or her expectations. Just becau be causs e one on e thi th inks big doe d oess n ’t mean mean he or o r s h e wil will h ave av e bigger bigg er fruit. Thinking is only the beginning; there must be corresponding actions which support the thoughts. For ins nstan tance, ce, a farm farmer who who on onlly thinks thinks and dreams dreams of a bi b ig harvest harves t but bu t neve ne verr do does es the th e work of planti plant ing the th e s eed, eed , wil will no nott reap a harvest. However, if one thinks big, then he or she must be sure to back up the thoughts by planting the seed of action and doi d oing ng the necess n ecess ary ary work work. As I reminisce about my forty-seven years of pastoral ministry, I begin to realize that not only did I think big, but in order to realize such big thoughts and dreams, I had to work diligently and consistently with sacrifice and dedication. In order to
realize your thinking in reality, you must pay your dues by givi giving ng everything to t o you y ourr God God--given given go goal alss .
Chan Chang g e You Yourr Thinking Think ing into a Pos Pos itiv iti ve Program Prog ram
Hebrew eb rewss 11:3 says sa ys , “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible ” (NIV). In other words, the visible, three-dimensional realm is influenced by the fourth-dimensional realm. For example, a negative-minded person whose thinking (a fourth-dimensional element) is negative will only experience negative things in his three-dimensional realm. But someone who thinks clearly and pos po s itively wil will expe experi rien ence ce go good od thi th in gs in life s ince nc e his or her he r thinki thinking is go good od.. Our bodies are a type of “fourth-dimensional computer lab.” The thing that turns on the “computer” and creates the program pro gramss is o ur thi th inkin nkin g. Thinking Thinking creates creat es wavel wave lengt en gths hs in the th e fourth-dimensional realm. And such wavelengths influence our three-dimensional realm and offer us the generating power to obtai ob tain n results res ults in our o ur li lives . The program that was accessed to create our thinking pattern will determine the results that will be achieved. For example, a depressing, negative, and ailing-mind-set program will yield depressing and negative results in our lives and our bodies, elements of the three-dimensional realm. Once our thinking fills up with depressing thoughts and anger, such elements will
automatically program our bodies, and this will lead to stress and ultim ultimatel ate ly to t o illnes ne s s . But s om omeon eonee who reli relies on a pos po s itive tive mind nd--s et to t o cr c reate hi h is or her thinking program will always experience a good outcome in his or her three-dimensional realm. Such thoughts as “I’m heal hea lthy”; th y”; “I’m “I’m happy hap py”; ”; and an d “I feel feel great” will exert exert tremen tremendo dous us influen nfluence ce over o ver the t he threeth ree-dim dimen enss ion onal al realm realm,, so s o the th e pers p erson on’’s life will become filled with vigor and happiness. Therefore we need to take on a positive, persuasive mind-set. The persuasive mind-set is the “can-do” mind-set. Becoming negative in all things is not healthy. To think negatively, as in the following examples, “I can’t do it”; “I’m not good for it”; and “My “M y li life is is hop hopel eles esss ,” is is dis dis astr as trous ous . Someone who thinks positively is someone who believes anything is possible. The Scripture says, “If you can believe, all thi th ing ngss are pos p os s ible to t o him who bel be lieves ev es ” (Mark (Ma rk 9:23 23,, NKJV NKJV). ). The per p erss on with a pos po s itive tive mind nd--s et always always has belief belief in in his his or her heart. He or she plans and carries out goals with the attitude of “I can do it” and “Let’s give it a try,” and doesn’t think about failure. Always think success and take on the mind nd--s et of o f not givi giving ng up up..
3. Find Out what Constitutes Your Negative Mindset and Rule over It.
Ever ve r since the th e fall fall of man mank kind nd,, humans humans have ha ve been bee n full full of negative elements in their thinking. Unless you get rid o negativi negativity ty,, such su ch as anger, anger, hopeles hopelesss ness nes s , and insecurity insecurity,, thos e elements will turn back on each other and cause problems in your yo ur life. life. Depravity-filled human thinking is fundamentally made up o negati neg ative ve elements elements . That’s That’s why negati neg ative ve thi t hinki nking ng turns back on other negative thinking, creating problem after problem. There are many destructive elements in human thinking. These elem elemen ents ts are fou found nd in our o ur sm s mall all and an d bi b ig “tidal “ tidal waves” waves ” of hatred ha tred and anger an ger,, fear fear and insecurity insecurity,, sadnes sadn esss and hopel h opeles esss ness nes s , and s in and an d the th e worl world. d. We must change the things that constitute our thinking in order to live victoriously. To learn what the components in one’s thinking are, one should examine the source of his or her thoughts. Since thinking tends to adapt more easily to the elem elemen ents ts that th at feed it, we mus mus t al a llow our ou r mi mind ndss to be influen nfluenced ced by po poss itive, creati creat ive, ve , and an d produ pro duct ctiive envir en viron onm ments en ts . Theref The refore ore it is imperative to fight off anger, fear, and a negative environment, for these elements are counteractive to the fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s io nal na l realm. realm.
Eradicate Anger
Anger that resides in our hearts causes our thinking programs to becom b ecomee negati neg ative. ve. Anger An ger creates creates and begets beg ets anger ang er.. Pr Prov over erbs bs
15:18 says, “A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention” (NKJV). Wrath gets in the way of fulfilling God’s will. Anger stirs up destructive and “end-of-allthings” sentiments that block us from making the right decision decisionss regarding egarding variou variouss matters. atters . During World War II, the fundamental reason why Hitler was defeated was due to his wrath. Hitler possessed clear thinking, analytic ability, public-speaking acumen, and sharp decisionmaking aking and an d leaders ead ership hip s kills . But But he was als als o a wrathful man man.. A little thing could easily stir up anger within him. His followers knew this about abo ut him and were caref careful ul not to repor epo rt anyth an ythiing to him that might arouse his anger. Even when Hitler was up agai aga ins t Great Great Bri Britain tain and an d France in a diffi difficu cullt batt b attlle, his s ud udden den temper prompted him to pull out part of his troops in order to attack the Soviet Union, which dealt a fatal blow to his military plans and an d mark marked ed the t he worst wors t mi mis tak ta ke of his lifetim lifetime. e. When the united Allies were carrying out the invasion of ormandy, all Hitler would have had to do was redirect his troops that were headed toward the Soviet Union back to ormandy in order to hinder the Allies’ operations, but his adjutant general was too afraid to wake Hitler up from his nap to let him know about the impending invasion. He knew the type of anger that would befall him if he were to interrupt Hitler’s nap. Hitler was known to burst into wrath over trivial matters. Therefore, while Hitler was in a deep sleep, the Allies had alr already landed and ed in Norm Normand andy y and an d s ecured thei th eirr posi pos ition tion.. As a result, the Nazis were eventually defeated. It was Hitler’s
anger that paved pav ed the th e way way for his his defeat defeat and the des d estr tructi uction on o the Third Reich.
Over Overccome ome Fear
We must overcome all fear of sadness and hopelessness, insecurity, and other thoughts that inject negativity into our hearts. Such things rob us of our hope, life, and vitality, and they inv nviite gl g loo oom mines s into ou ourr li lives . 1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts cas ts ou outt fear, fear, becaus e fear inv nvol olves ves torment torment.. But But he who fears ears has not been made perfect in love” (NKJV). There are always pena pe nallties as s oci oc iated at ed with with fear. fear. If you y ou are afraid afraid of cancer can cer,, the th e fear of cancer can cer wil will torm to rmen entt you y ourr li life. If If you yo u are afraid afraid of pov p overty, erty, the fear of poverty will torment your life. If you are afraid o war, the fear of war will torment your life. Yes, fear is always accompanied by torment. Fear of sadness robs your heart of hope. Sadness, like the rainy monsoon season, dampens our spirits. Once sadness fills our hearts, our lives will become negative and we will lose our hope. However, our lives are not immune to sadness. Most peop pe oplle loo ook k hap h appy py on the th e ou outs ts ide, de , but b ut often ofte n they th ey are weeping in their hearts, where sadness comes down like pouring rain. Sadness is another emotion that changes our thinking into a negative mind-set.
Fear of setbacks and losses in life will change our thinking negati neg ativel vely y and an d caus cau s e us to gi g ive up u p eas ily. The The onl o nly y way we we are able to overcome suffering in our lives and bounce back from setbacks is through our trusting in God and placing our hope in Him. Ris e Abov Abovee a Negativ Neg ativee Envi nvi ronment onment
We were born into a negative world. After committing sin against God, humankind was thrown out of Eden. Since then, we’ve lived in this cursed world, and we can’t escape from it. Actually, we have been saturated in negativity from our chil childh dhoo oods ds on on.. We We gr g rew up hear h eariing negati neg ative ve s tatement tatementss : “You “You can’t can ’t do it”; “Don’t do d o it”; “Li “Living is painful”; painful”; “I’m “I’m s ufferi uffering ng,” ,” etc. Most of us saw, heard, and spoke negativity. Even in pape pa pers rs and an d on TV mos t of what wha t we see, s ee, es e s pecial pe ciallly the th e news n ews,, is is negative. Whether it is something the government has done wrong, the irregularities of politicians, money-laundering and embezzlement in corporations and firms, or crime in its various forms, it’s all negative. Even dramas on TV depict stories of couples breaking up, families falling apart, and various other negati neg ative ve them the mes. es . The fact is that we have become so accustomed to negativity that when we actually see or hear something pos po s itive for a chan ch ange ge,, we do don’t n’t react with with rejo rejo icing, becau be causs e we’re expecting only negative things to come forth. On the other hand, when something negative is depicted, we often have immediate reactions, such as crying or expressions o
shock. All too frequently people entertain themselves with negative stories. The devil is constantly on the prey, and he tries to influence our lives with negativity. If we let his negativity influence us, we can’t live successful and fulfilling lives. Thinking is the vessel through which God carries out His workings. As long as we hold onto negative thoughts, God’s worki orking ngss canno can nott beco b ecom me man maniifest fes t in in our o ur li lives . Whenever I’m preaching from the pulpit, I always aim to change the church members’ fourth-dimensional realm – their spiritual realm. In order to accomplish this I try to help them change their thought patterns. When I’m able to help them fi their fourth-dimensional realms, they will naturally bear pos po s itive fruit. fruit. Problems in fourth-dimensional thinking hinder us from seeing life from a positive point of view, and they keep us from using creative thinking and opening our hearts. Almost everyone loo ook ks at thei t heirr inco incom mpetence peten ce and an d hop h opel eles esss nes s in lif life; theref t herefore, ore, their “boat of life” sinks. No one in this world is perfect or competent in everything. But those who dwell on their failings and incompetencies will lose their willingness to move; subsequently, they will fall into the pit of hopelessness. Someone who rises above his or her environment by thinking pos po s itively, tively, clearly clearly, creati creat ivel ve ly, and an d produ pro duct ctiivel ve ly wil will refl reflect thos tho s e qual qu aliities ties in the t he frui fruitt they th ey bear b ear.. There are times when one’s view of a situation will differ drastical dras ticallly from from the th e actua act uall s ituation. tu ation. The fortres fortresss we may may s ee in
front of us might be tall, and its inhabitants might look like giant figures when we compare ourselves with them, and this might make us feel like helpless creatures. Similarly, the land might look like a wilderness to us. However, such conditions, as we perceive them, may be very different from what they actual actu allly are. a re. The pl p lanet an et we li live on – the t he earth – may may loo ook k flat flat to to us,, as we loo us look k out up upon on the ho horrizon on.. Even Even if we we take our ou rs elves elves to the th e top of a moun mountai tain n and an d look look out as far as we can s ee, the earth will still look flat, even at the farthest point. That’s why there’s an old saying, “Don’t go too far from home.” In earlier times it was forbidden to sail far into the sea. That’s because peop pe oplle hel he ld to the th e idea de a that th at the th e world world was flat flat,, and an d they th ey thought that sailors might fall off the end of the earth if they went too far! ar! The truth was entirely different from what they imagined. We now no w kno know w that the t he earth is is rou ound nd.. This This is a good go od exam exampl plee of o f the truth that what we see and what the reality actually is can be totally different. Here’s another example. The earth does not seem to be s pinni pinn ing on its axi axis . That Th at’’s becau be causs e the th e world world is n’t turni tu rnin ng in such a way that we can actually feel the movement. We don’t do n’t seem s eem to be b e on a s pinn pinniing pl p lanet, anet , but in in actual actu aliity the t he earth is rotating on its axis quite rapidly as it revolves around the s un un.. The fact fact that th at we do don’t n’t see s ee it it or feel feel it does do es no nott change chan ge thi th is truth. This is why we must let go of our feelings and precon preco n ception cep tionss , and an d think t hink beyo be yon n d ou o u r im immedi ed iate at e s urroun urrou n dings ding s and senses in order to experience miracles. Thinking is a
fourth-dimensional element that exceeds both the environment and our physi phys ical s enses. ens es.
We can always experience change as we rise above our environment through the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross represents the power that can save the dying and that can cause something to exist out of nothing. In the cross we have the power to change hopelessness to hope. Fourthdimensional thinking overcomes our immediate environment, as we consider the cross to be the very force that changes our abil ability to s ee, understand unders tand,, and percei p erceive ve the th e truth.
3. Always Think of the Fivefold Gospel and the Threef Threefold old Blessing!
You have hav e been bles blesss ed. Therefor Therefore, e, you s ho houl uld d tak t akee on what I call richness of thinking. Fill up the stockroom o your thoughts with the Fivefold Gospel and the blessings o oy.. oy I always taught my church members to think of the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing. The Bible teaches that the things things of God God s hou houlld be b e taught taugh t as being being pure, goo good, d, worthy worthy o compliments, and able to be accomplished. That’s why I
alw always think think abou aboutt s uch thi t hings ngs on a dail daily bas b asiis . For example, I will frequently remind myself, “I’ve received forgiveness and am now a righteous person. I’m a holy person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. I’ve been healed. I’ve been released from the bondage of sin. I am experiencing eternal life and blessings.” In a similar vein, I always remind myself, “All is well, and my body bo dy and an d s ou oull are as healthy he althy as can be!” be !” By s o do doiin g, I’m I’m filling up my fourth-dimensional realm completely with victory, success, richness, health, and blessings; and naturally my three-d th ree-dim imen enss io n al real rea lm will will follo follo w. You mus t fil fill up you y ourr thinki thinking with victory, victory, suc s ucces ces s , and things that are divinely rich. Remember, you already possess thos th os e things t hings . (See (See Eph Eph.. 1: 1:3). The Basis Bas is for for Think Thinking ing the Go Gos pels el s and th thee Bles Bl es s ings ing s
During the Korean War, most Korean people lived a life of extreme poverty. At that time, whenever trains would arrive with coal, people would climb to the top of the train cars in their desperate attempts to get [steal] some pieces of coal for themselves. Their actions would prompt soldiers to come after them, them, so they often had to run away.
I remember one day in my childhood when the train arrived
with coal piled high. People swarmed around it like ants searching for food crumbs. One ten-year-old child climbed to the top t op and a nd threw t hrew do dow wn s om omee pieces pieces of coal s o his father could could pick them th em up up.. Ri Righ ghtt then th en,, one on e hug h ugee pi p iece of coa c oall fell fell and an d roll rolled underneath the train. The soldiers saw what was happening and ran toward the train. The boy jumped to the ground but spotted the large coal under the train. He didn’t hesitate to craw crawll un underneath derneath to grab it. it. At that tha t mom moment, ent, the th e tr t rain ain began beg an to move. The people who were witnessing this yelled out. I was one o them. them. But But no on onee tried tried to t o rescue res cue the t he boy b oy.. At that th at mom moment ent,, I s aw a person quickly rushing toward the moving train. It was the father of the boy. He was barely able to push his son out from under the train, but he couldn’t get himself out from under the train train car in in time. time. Even Even toda to day y, I get ge t the t he s hivers when he n I recall recall that th at event. I saw what that father did for his son, and I remember how, even when he was being run over by the train, the father waved to his his s on on,, dir directing ecting him him to flee to s afety. afety. The father ath er was was killed in that incident. I remember wondering, “Why did the father give up his life to save the boy? He could have another son; why did he kill himself?” I was only a middle school student at the time, so I really coul cou ldn dn’’t und u nder erss tand what it is is like to be a parent. Now Now that I am a father, though, I think I can understand why that father so bravely brav ely ris ris ked his life.There is no theo th eory ry o r log ogiic b ehi eh ind a
father’s ather’s lov ovee for his his child. child. Lov Lovee is is s tronger than th an death, deat h, and this is what prompted the father to move swiftly to rescue his son. Love gave him the courage and the willingness to sacrifice his own life for his son. That father could have saved his life and could could h have ave survi s urvived ved on o n his ow o wn; but b ut s eeing eeing hi h is s on in danger dan ger,, he could not leave his son to die. I’m sure most fathers would act the th e sam s amee way. way. Our Father God loves us in the same way. He loves us so dearly dearly that t hat He sacri s acrifficed everythi everyth ing to s ave us us.. That’s That’s why He gave gav e us u s His His Son. God God hims hims elf elf took too k upon upo n hims hims elf elf human human fles flesh h in order to die on the cross. Once we realize that God loves us and that th at He is is alw always ay s with with us , then the n our o ur hearts hea rts wil will be fil filled with courage. These changes take place in our fourth-dimensional realm. We truly have a solid basis to believe that since God is with us , everyth ev erythiing is po poss s ible. In li ligh ghtt of this, this , we mus t li live our o ur lives with the t he thoug th ought ht that “everything “everything is is pos s ible, ble,”” and as we do so, we will experience victory and miracles in our daily lives. The Basis of Richness of Thinking is Found in the Resurrection of Christ
What Wh at evidence do we have hav e to s upp upport ort our ri richnes s of think thinkiing that tells us we are already blessed with everything? We know it for sure through the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He showed us His love by dying on the cross and giving up everything for us. Therefore, when we cling to the cros crosss , our despai desp airr and res res tles tlesss ness nes s , along along with death and hell hell, will disappear, leaving us with God’s glory and the
resurrection. All that we find in the work of Christ on the cross turns the bitter water of despair and hopelessness into the s weet water wat er of li life. Rom omans ans 8:35-39 -39 tell tells us , “Who “Wh o s hall s eparate epa rate us u s from from the th e love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For your yo ur sak s akee we are are kil killed all all day lon ong; g; we are accounted accou nted as s heep for the s laugh au ghte terr.’ Yet in all thes th esee thi th in gs we are are more more tha t han n conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power po werss , nor n or thi th ing ngss pres ent en t no norr thing t hingss to com co me, no norr height h eight no nor r depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us fro fro m the th e love lov e of o f God God which which is in Chris Chris t Jes Je s us ou ourr Lord Lord”” (NKJV (NKJV). ). This passage gives us clear evidence that God has turned the sour water of our lives into the sweet-tasting water of life through Jesus Jes us Chris hris t. I have been sharing with you the first element of the fourthdimensional realm, which is thinking . Depending on how we exercise our fourth-dimensional thinking, whether “of the spirit” or “of the flesh,” our lives can change for the better or for the worse. First, it’s imperative to live a life that is guided and ruled by the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit offers us life and peace. When we are captivated by the Holy Spirit and we learn how to think with Him and like Him, we are able to fulfill our hopes through His worki orking in and an d thr th roug ough h us u s . Becaus Becausee our thinking influences others, we need to enter into a close, intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit so that His influence
wil will take ta ke over ov er our ou r li lives ve s .
Second, our thinking is like spiritual breathing; and through our prayers, our thoughts will get expressed to God. Then our thoughts will bear fruit. Prayer provides us with the power po wer to chan ch ange ge ou ourr fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al thi th inking nking into nt o reali reality. Because God rules over everything, once we let Him take care of our ou r affai affairs rs throu t hrough gh prayer praye r, He He wil will grant ou ourr prayer requ reques ests ts , thereby enabling us to bear fruit. God gave humans a special privil privileg egee to interact nt eract with with Him Him throu th rough gh p rayer. rayer. Pray Prayers ers that th at are bui bu ilt from from God od’’s own wil will and an d thou th ough ghts ts wil will s urely yield yield the th e power po wer that th at wil will mov ovee God God’s ’s heart. h eart.
Third, our thinking needs to be captivated by the Word. Only the Scriptures can train our unpredictable thinking and guide us onto the right path. Once our thinking is saturated with the Word and we begin to obey its teachings, we will bear fruit and experience change in our threed imens en s ional ion al rea reallm. Now tha t hatt yo you u know thes th es e truths trut hs , it’s it’s time time to chan ch ange ge your thinking. When your life is filled with thinking that focuses on God, then your life will experience fullness of joy, and you will shine like the sun, always burning brightly, and this wil will provide provide you y ou with joy and an d hop h opee on a dayday -to-day bas is .
2 Faith
You Can Change the Fourth-Dimensional Spiritual World within You
Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are pos po s s ible to hi h im who beli b eliev eves es .” (Ma (Mark rk 9:2 9:23, NKJV NKJV). ). What would you do if your world suddenly turned dark and you wond onder ered ed what to do about abou t the th e dir dire cir circums cums tances of your life?
We often claim to have a strong faith, but we sometimes fall short when we’re confronted with unfortunate circumstances. That’s because all that we see in our threedimensional realm influences our thinking and feelings. This often changes our thought patterns to negative ones and dis dis rup upts ts whatever hate ver tranqui tranqu ility ou ourr li lives may have hav e had h ad before. before. In In such situations, we must not simply accept reality as it is; instead, we need to trust in God who dwells in the fourthdimen dimenss ion onal al realm realm.. Through Throug h trus t, you y ou wil will be abl ab le to t o ov overcom ercomee the th e dire dire cir circum cu ms tances tan ces in which which you y ou find find yo yours ursel elf. f.
By placing your trust in God, He will see your faith and grant you y ou the grace to ov over ercom comee the th e s ituati tuat ion on.. He He wil will als als o perf pe rform orm mi miracles racles in yo your ur beha be hallf. No matte at terr what circu circum ms tanc ta nces es you yo u may may be b e pl p laced in, thi th ink of God God and s tand fast as t in your yo ur fai faith th in Him. As you do so, you will experience God’s working in your yo ur life. life. The incident I’m about to share with you happened approximately twenty years ago. I was scheduled to lead a major rev reviival va l meeti eet ing in Ade A dellaide, Aus Au s tralia, tralia, foll followed by on onee in in Perth; but due to an Australian Air strike, all flights were canceled. To get to Perth from Adelaide, it took a large aircraft three th ree hours, hou rs, and a sm s mall all priva private te pl p lane an e five five hou h ours. rs. So I called called the t he meeting coordinator in Perth and explained to him that due to the strike I wouldn’t be able to lead the revival meeting in Perth. But he explained to me that canceling could not be an option since so many people were already waiting at the meeting site; therefore, he said that they would send a private plane to t o get g et me. me. When the airplane arrived, I noticed it was a manually operated one, and it didn’t have a navigational system. So the pilot had to fly over the highways in order to get his bearings. We took off, off, but thr th ree hours ho urs or so later, ater, we we found ou ourrs elves elves headed head ed into a big storm. The dark clouds drastically limited our visibility. The fact was that we were in complete darkness and couldn’t s ee a thing! thing!
When at last the pilot was no longer able to fly the plane, plane , he turned tu rned to me for h elp as his last as t des de s perate pe rate meas ure. He said, “Hang onto the control lever. I’ll have to utilize the radio radio freq frequen uency cy to t o reconfi recon figu gure re my my fli fligh ghtt coordinates co ordinates .” As yo you u can ca n imagi imagine, ne, I was was utter utt erlly dis dis mayed by what I was hearing. But I also knew that desperate moments require desperate measures. Therefore I did whatever I could to help out. On the threshold of death, I had no choice but to rely on God. So I cried out to the Lord, as I hung tightly to the control lever: “Lord, save us!” Passing through that storm was an abs olutely hel h elllis h expe experi rienc ence. e. We had to fly through that storm for nearly two hours. Finally we saw a faint light in the distance. It was the glow rising from the city of Perth. It was such a relief to us, for that light signified that we had moved from death to life and from darkness to light. We were able to land safely at the Perth airport by using the city’s light as our guide. Everyone there thought our arriving safely was a miracle in itself. All credit was due to God. It was His grace and power that saved our lives. We weren’t able to see with our own eyes, but God was leading us u s all all the way, and we arri arrived at our o ur des tination tination s afel afely. y.
Faith is being sure of what what we hope for and ce certa rtain in of what what we do not see. (See Heb.11:1, NIV). In our relationship with God, faith is an absolute prerequisite. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must
bel be lieve ev e that th at He is , and an d that th at He is a rewarde rewarderr of thos th os e who diligently seek Him” (NKJV). If we don’t have faith, we can’t receive eceive what God God has in s tore for for us. us . Fai Faith th is what conn co nnects ects the intention of your heart to God’s will and actualizes it in your life.
Therefore we must always dwell in Jesus Christ our Lord in faith. The Bible clearly teaches us that “ …in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” ( Rom. 1:17, NIV).
We must see God’s world through the eyes of faith. The Bible says , “ Now faith faith is be being ing sure of wha whatt we hope for for and ce certa rtain in of wha whatt we do not see” (Heb. (Heb. 11:1, NIV). Through the eyes of faith we are able to see what’s not visible. If we look at God’s grace in such a way, we’l we’ll actua act uallly s ee it man maniifest fes t in our o ur li lives ve s .
From now on, I hope you will become a seer of reality through the laws of faith and trust in our Lord in the midst of all negative circumstances and thoughts. Once you become a doer do er of the th e laws laws of faith faith,, you yo u wil will live a vi v ictori ct oriou ouss life.
Plant Pl ant the the S ee eed d and Anti Anti cip ci pate ate the H Harv arves es t
God has directed me to seek first His kingdom, then to plant s eed in faith. aith. As A s I do s o, I alw always anticipate anticipate miracles acles.. When Wh en the cons con s tructi truct ion for the th e Yoido church ch urch bega b egan, n, I offered offered to God God the th e first house (in Nhengchun-dong, Seoul) that I had worked so hard to own. While I was praying, God spoke these words to Pla nt your yo ur house ho use as a seed to Me. If you yo u do, do , I will wi ll me, “ Plant erform erform a miracle throug th rough h it .” .” I was was around aroun d thir t hirty ty years ye ars old at the t he ti t ime and an d was a marr marriied man. Therefore, having to offer my precious home to God was extremely difficult for me, even though I was a pastor. But I obeyed. Then God performed a great miracle. He allowed us to purcha pu rchass e the th e lan land d in Yo Yo ido to bu buiild a church ch urch and an d to t o us u s e the th e si s ite to do great ministry nis try for Hi Him. It It wasn’t was n’t the t he amou amount nt I gave gav e to God that was impo porrtant, tant , but my s eed of obedi obed ience in faith faith that God loo ook ked upon up on s o favo favorrably. ably. Humans reap whatever they plant. Those who plant little will get little, but those who plant a lot will get a lot. This is not only a law of nature, but it is also a law of spirituality before God. It’s important to remember, though, that we cannot reap without tho ut planting planting fir firs t. And An d if yo you u pl p lant, ant , you mus t anti an tici cipate pate the day of harvest. Do you know of any farmer who only plants and does not anticipate the day of harvest? We must have faith that we can offer everything to God. It is only through faith faith that th at you y ou can expe expect ct great g reat mi miracles racles.. Galatians 6:7-9 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who
sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (NKJV). Plant and reap in God according to the laws of the Holy Spirit, and this will be the source s ource of you yourr bles blesss ings . Improve the Content of Your Prayers
Once you feel full confidence that you have already received what you seek, and you have no doubt that it has been granted, granted, and you’ve yo u’ve done everything everything you y ou coul co uld d pos po s s ibly bly do in your yo ur prayers, and s til till no nothing thing has taken taken place, place, then it’s t’s tim time to to change the words of your prayers. Continuing to pray, “Heal me, O Lord, and grant me your mercy,” without true faith in your yo ur heart h eart wil will no nott ava a vaiil much. uc h. . If you have already begun to seek for something, you need to pray along alon g thes th esee lines ne s : “Than “Th ank k yo you, u, O Lord, ord , for heali he aling ng me. Thank Than k you for already already heal hea ling me. Now Now hel he lp me me to be bett be tter. er.”” It sometimes takes time for symptoms to disappear, but this does not mean that healing has not already occurred. If the Holy Spirit has already given you the confirmation that you’re healed, but you are still praying, “Heal me, O Lord, and fix me, Lord,” you will cause God to question why you are doubting s o much much.. Such Such an approach ap proach is un unbeli belief ef,, not faith. aith. Parents pray earnestly for their non-believing children, and at some point in time they feel conviction in their hearts that their
prayer pray er has ha s b een accep acc epte ted. d. It is then th en they th ey wil will know kno w that th at all o their children will be saved some day. However, after a long time time pas p asss es, es , and the th e chi ch ildren are stil s tilll living lives of ind indiifference fference toward God, some doubts might creep in. This happens becau be causs e reali reality s eems eems to in dicate dicat e s om omet ething hing differ differen entt from from what the th e parents parents had hoped h oped for. for.
Let me encourage you to pray like this at such times: “O Father God! My first son has been saved, so call out to him. My daughter is saved as well, so help her to turn her life around. My last child, too, has been saved, so don’t allow him to wander an der in in the th e world world any a nym more.” This This is a prayer p rayer of fai faith th.. Praying for a new job works in a similar manner. If you have been be en prayi pray ing earnes earne s tly for a go good od job ob,, as s urance uran ce wil will grow g row in your yo ur heart that th at you y ou’’ve alr already go gott a go good od job ob.. However However,, if if you continue to pray, “God, grant me a job,” ignoring that assurance, then God won’t be pleased with your prayers. In such circumstances, pray something like this: “God, thank you for giving giving me a gr g reat job ob!! Si Since nc e you y ou’ve ’ve alread already y granted grant ed it to t o me, me, make it visible so that I can see it. Help me to see it clearly, this new job job yo you’ve u’ve gi g iven me.” When Wh en you y ou s tart to believe believe in in s om ometh ethiing you y ou can’t see, s ee, then it’ it’ss time to speak as if that invisible thing is actually there before your eyes. Such prayers are rooted in the principles of faith, and when they are applied accordingly, you won’t need to repeat the same thing over and over again. Instead, you can
simply let God know what you’re seeking, and you can do so with utter utt er convi conv iction ction..
Fight the Immediate Surroundings that are Tempting You in Negat Neg ativ ivee Ways Ways .
There are so many temptations that are aimed at getting you to give up your faith. Fight them off. Pray until you have peace in your heart. As you do so, cry out passionately to the Lord. In God we are able to see, believe, and dream. When we pay attention to what we see with our eyes, however, we will beco be com me disap dis appo poiin ted. te d. Al A ll too t oo often ofte n p eople eo ple give up when thi th is happens. But we must never give up. We must fight off all negative temptations and influences in our lives. Those who are persistent and fight until the end will see that which they have hav e been b een s eeking eeking in faith faith becom be comee fulfi fulfillled before thei th eirr eyes . “I Believe, but It’s Too Hard to Believe.” Back in 1960, the year when our church experienced a phen ph enom omen enal al revival, we s tarted ta rted an un unprec preced eden ente ted d all-ni all-nigh ghtt Friday prayer meeting. In those days, there were no such meetings or services in Korea. Nonetheless, we went ahead with this idea, and, as a result, all-night prayer meetings have now no w s pread al a ll ov over er Korea. Korea.
Our first all-night prayer service lasted until 4:00 a.m., and we prayed pray ed and an d praised prais ed tog to g ethe et herr, s hari ha ring ng ou ourr tes te s timon timoniies vollun vo untari tarilly. Our Our pas s ion and des ire to s eek God God through throug h pr p rayer and prais prais e was greater than anything any thing I had experi experienced enced before. It went so well that we felt that time passed too quickly. Many who came then were healed and blessed as they sought God. Likewise, many experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit and their des perate prayers were answ ans wered. ered. I recall one incident in particular. After I had finished praying for members who needed a physical healing, I made the foll following owing decl dec laration aration:: “Tod “Today ay ou ourr mi migh ghty ty God heal he aled ed s om omeon eonee here who who had an ul u lcer.” cer.” Then a young man stood up abruptly and said, “Pastor, that pers pe rson on is me. Go d jus t healed he aled me! Wow, Wow, I reall really can’t can ’t bel be lieve ev e this, but. . .but. . . I don’t know. . .hmm. . . I can’t believe it. . . I ustt can’t!” us can’t!” I still vividly remember what that young man had cried out during the prayer meeting. His instinctual response, “I believe, Lord” turned into a declaration of doubt, “No. . . no, I can’t bel be lieve.” ev e.” Before I go g o on any an y further furth er,, I migh ghtt add ad d here he re th t h at thi th is was an hon h ones estt confes co nfesss ion from him him. Many peop p eoplle often s ay, ay, “I bel be lieve,” ev e,” bu butt then th en they th ey turn tu rn around arou nd and an d begin be gin to do doub ubt. t. Belie elie is not something we create, nor is it a feeling we experience. o, belief is something that transcends our feelings and all o ourr im ou immediate s urrou urround ndiing ngss and cir circums cums tances tan ces..
That you y oung ng man was a stud s tudent ent at Yon Yonss ei Univers niversiity [a pres tigious tigiou s un uniivers ve rsiity in Korea] at the th e time. time. But he was suffering gravely from an ulcer, and he frequently vomited blood bloo d and a nd even ev en cont co ntem emplate plated d deat d eath. h. Beca Becaus us e he h e bl b led s o muc much, h, he really believed he would die before long. Therefore, he desperately sought God; he did everything he could to place his his trus trustt in in God, God, onl on ly to t o be b e disappoi disapp ointed nted that deep down ins insiide he reall really coul cou ldn dn’t. ’t. I cried out to God and asked Him to impart the faith that I had within me into the young man. I laid my hand on his head and prayed earnestly for him. I knew I had to do something to alter his fourth dimension first. I really wanted him to take on the thinking that he had already been healed through his unquestionable faith in God and that there was a brigh brightt future fut ure ahead ah ead of him. him. God did work mightily in his life, as he later regained his health and became a man of faith. He eventually entered a seminary, finished his theological studies, became an ordained Presbyterian minister, and is now leading one of the most vibrant ministries in Korea.
o matter how desperately we try to cling to our faith, the world wastes no time in trying to pull us into despair and leading us to believe certain worldly notions that erode our faith aith by b y s aying aying that t hat s uch thi th ings as s upernatural upernatural heali healings don don’’t occur in this world. Even if we hold steadfast to the promises
of God that are found in His Word and plant our feet firmly in faith, aith, such s uch pr p ress es s ures ures may s til till weigh eigh down on us and cause caus e us to yield to doubt. But we must overcome this tendency with the s trength trength that God God has alr already bes b estowed towed upon upo n us . You can be an a n ove o vercom rcomer er throug thro ugh h Him Him.
Melt the Icy Wall of Disbelief with Prayers that Cry Out from Your Heart
The Scriptures clearly tell us to believe in the power of prayer and to trust that what we pray for will come about. However, there are times when no matter how much you pray, you just don’t believe that what you’re praying for is going to happen. W e mus mus t keep keep on o n prayi p raying ng un until til we can actual actu allly bel b eliieve ev e we we have hav e received received what ha t we’ve we’ve been b een pr p rayi ay ing for. There is a thick “ice wall” between belief and doubt in the human heart. We must melt it down. However, it won’t melt by cold wind. Only the heat from fervent, passionate prayers pray ers can melt that th at wall wall d own. W hen he n we com co me to the th e Lord with such prayers, then that wall will melt. The reason most peop pe oplle fall fall into nt o des de s pai pa ir and an d give up with witho o ut achi ach ievi ev ing the th e needed assurance in their hearts is because they weren’t able to melt the ice wall. Once that wall comes down, you can cling to the t he hand h and of o f ass urance urance –the –t he convi con victi ction on within thin your y our heart. heart. Matthew 7:7~8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,
and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (NKJV).
Jesus promised to give us answers that are bigger and wider than th an what we are are abl ab le to conj con jure up in our o ur mi mind ndss . Therefore, Therefore, we we must pray until the ice wall melts and we have the assurance in our hearts. Once we do, we must verbally admit that we have already already receive received d it. Is aiah 55: Isaiah 55:6-7 s ays ay s , “Seek the th e LOR LORD D wh wh ile He may may be found fou nd,, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abund abu ndan antly tly pardon pa rdon”” (NKJ (NKJV V). Charles Spurgeon, the renowned British pastor, said, “Lifting up prayers is like pulling on a big bell that resonates close to God’s ears.” This means that God will act swiftly once we pull on the “bell cord” of prayer. We must pray earnestly, pers pe rsiis tent te ntlly, and an d with withou outt ceas cea s ing ng.. God wil will s urely respo res pon n d to ourr prayers. ou Prayers rooted in faith turn our absolute despair into absolute hope. Some people are critical of those who pray out loud. But in Jeremiah 33:3 we read: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not kno now” w” (NK (NKJV JV). ). Earnest arnes t prayers p rayers are prayers that th at cry c ry out ou t to t o God God..
Psalm 145:19 says, “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them” (NKJV). We likewise must cry out to Him until we have assurance and peace pe ace in ou ourr heart. he art. Pray Prayers ers with with a pas pa s s ion onat atee p ursuit urs uit wil will be answered. Cas Cas t Your Your Three-Dimens Thre e-Dimens ional Realm onto God
W e li live in a very ve ry ins ins ecure ecu re worl world d that t hat is full full of des pair and uneasiness, but God wants you to let go of your worries and concerns. Therefore, cast your burden of negative thoug tho ughts hts and fears fears on onto to Him Him, and focus yo your ur eyes upo u pon n Hi Him! There is is a very famou famouss Korean poem po em by Songgang Songg ang Chu hung ng Chu hull Hoo nminga ga . This poem describes a young man who sees an in Hoonmin old man who is heavily sweating while he is carrying a heavy load. The young man has pity on the old man and wants to take the th e load from from him s o that th at he can travel more more com co mfortab fortablly. What Wh at Jesus Jes us s aid aid is pretty pretty much the s ame ame thing. Jes Jesus us felt elt pi p ity for people who were laden with heavy yokes. He still does. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. (Matt. 11:28, NIV). He extends an invitation to us to live a life with fewer bu burdens rdens . yo u r yok yo k e too to o heav he avyy to bear? be ar? Is the th e He asks, “ Is you load of o f the world too heavy f heavy for or you? yo u? Is the th e yok y ok e you y ou carry ca rry the t he result of the devil’ d evil’ss tempta temptatio tions? ns? Are you laden la den with w ith disease disea se
and illnesses? Are the pressures of your job too heavy? Is life too burdensome for you? Do you labor under the fear o death?”
If yo your ur answ ans wer to thes th esee ques qu esti tion onss is “Yes “Yes,” ,” He He bu rdens upon Me. Let is s ues this this invitati nvitation on to t o you: y ou: “Cast your burdens e carry them for you. I’ I’ve already tak ta k en those th ose burdens upon up on myself as I hung on the cross, so just trust Me and obey Me. Then you shall lead a much easier life.” What an amazing inv nviitation our ou r Lord has given given to us us!
The Lord Is My Shepherd
I always have the following words hidden in my heart, and I recite them whenever fear is looming on the horizon: “Depart from me, fear. God is my tower of refuge. ‘I ‘ I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, norr the arrow no arrow that flies by day, no norr the pes p esti tillence that s tal talk ks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the LORD, who is my refuge – then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near yourr tent’” you tent’” (Ps (Ps.. 91:2-10, 91:2-10, NIV). NIV).
Even ve n if the th e sk s ky were were to com co me down do wn and the th e lan land d were were to subside, God’s promise will not change a speck. If we bel be lieve ev e in His His words and an d loo ook k to Him Him for gu guiidanc da nce, e, whil while verbally confessing our faith, God’s words shall work mightily in all ou ourr li lives ve s .
Our present society is treading near the gorge of insecurity. In Korea, for example, there is a great fear of war that has become a stronghold in many people’s minds. This is especially true with regard to the tension caused by North Korea’s testing of nuclear weapons and missiles. Likewise, the war in Iraq is causing fear and anxiety around the world. Many wonder if the same thing that has happened in Iraq will take place on the Korean peninsula. Some of us may be better at pretending to be calm than th an othe ot hers rs,, but b ut the th e fear of o f war remains remains in the th e back ba ck o ourr mi ou mind ndss . Also, there’s a widening gap between generations throughout the world. The different generations, for example, often have differing political views. The younger generation may unfairly conclude that all older people are conservatives. Members o the older generation, on the other hand, may try to push members embers of the you y oung nger er generation generation to one o ne s ide, seei s eeing ng them the m as progres pro gres s ive reformi reformis ts .
But the troubles don’t stop there. An economic recession has made things more difficult overall. Some boast about growing exports while the domestic economy remains very gloomy. Credit defaults defaults ar a re on the ris e and s o are the cos co s ts of li living and unemployment. These conditions serve to bring worries and anxiety to people. In addition, certain outbreaks of mysterious diseases from China and Southeast Asia are causing major concerns. Some of these diseases develop without detection, and there are few preventive measures that are effective against agains t them th em.. In attempts to alleviate all this anxiety, certain retreats and meetings have been conducted. Likewise, many books have been be en wri written tt en abou ab outt vari va riou ouss s icknes s es and an d ways of deali de aling ng with anxiety and worry. Approximately one million books dealing with sickness, anxiety, and worries are printed annually. At the same time, palm readers and other occultists are expe experi rien enci cing ng a great g reat ris ris e in the t heiir cli clientel ent ele, e, and an d the th e num n umber ber o patient pa tientss receiving ps ycho yc hoth therap erapy y has ha s increas nc reased ed s ign gniifican ficantly tly as well. The twentieth century was a century of wars. Death tolls from war casualties and massacres during the preceding century number somewhere between 120,000,000 people and 180,000,000 people. From 1945 until the 1990’s only three weeks have gone by without war taking place somewhere on planet Earth. Presently our society is passing through the valley of fear and
death. The world, therefore, is enshrouded in gloom. Most peop pe oplle d on on’t ’t reali realize thi th is , bu butt visi vis iting a ps ychic yc hic reader reade r or receiving psychiatric treatments is not helpful. Only Jesus Christ, our Shepherd, can rescue us from the valley of death. The God who possesses all authority over Heaven and earth offer offerss His hands han ds to us as we walk walk this this gloo gloom my path p ath.. Theref Therefore, ore, we must remain vigilant and cling to our Lord’s hand as we plow throu th rough gh the th e val va lley of dark da rkne ness s . The Goo ood d Shephe Shep herd rd o the sheep will lead us and keep us safe with His rod and staff. (See (See Ps. Ps . 23 23). The Lord’ Lord’ss s taff is is like a guidi g uiding ng hand. han d. Jesus Jes us s aid, aid, “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:3, NKJV). The Lord is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep. He knows our names, and He calls out our individual names, as He leads leads us with His s taff. taff. Practice Practic e Living Living in Faith! Faith!
Practice living in faith and walking with God in your daily daily life. Meet the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit, meditate meditate on the th e Word W ord and a nd focus oc us on God od.. Surr Surrou ound nd yo yours ursel elff wi with othe ot herr men men and an d women women of faith faith..
o matter how much we try to claim how strong we are, we are feeble feeble creatures creatu res.. In In fact, hum h uman an beings being s are fi finite bei b eing ngss . We We try constantly to renew ourselves by getting up on our own two feet, only to fall at our own peril. Even so, God has pity on us, becau be causs e He knows we are hel he lpless ples s bei be ing ngss , and an d He des de s ires to take care of us. We ought to be grateful for this. God gave us
the Word s o that t hat we would would be b e abl ab le to live victori victoriou ouss lives , and He sent the Holy Spirit to help us. Therefore, we must meditate on His Word without ceasing and cultivate a personal relationship with Him. We must go forth with other men and women women of faith faith.. Growing Faith through the Word
Dwigh wightt L. Mood Mo ody y, who who made ad e a tremen tremendo dous us s piri piritual tu al im impact pa ct on America during the nineteenth century, made a vow to God that he would live a perfect life. This happened soon after he was born again. However, he was unable to keep his vow, becau be causs e he found fou nd that th at his life was fil filled with with s tum tu mbles and an d falls. Troubled by the contradictions within his life, he s ecluded hims hims elf elf up upon on a “prayer “p rayer mou mount ntai ain” n” in order to pray. p ray. He He also sought out all the revivals in town, but the blessings he received from these meetings only lasted a month or so. Moody Mood y lam lamented ented about this this by s aying, aying, “The seed s eed of the Word Word can’t grow in the field of my heart; it’s like the seeds scattered on the th e str s treet. eet.”” One day, he stumbled onto the following passage from the Boo ook k of Rom Romans ans : “But “But they have hav e not no t all all ob obeyed eyed the go goss pel. For Isaiah says, ‘LORD, who has believed our report?’ So then faith faith com co mes by heari he aring ng,, and hear hea ring by the th e word of God God”” (Rom (Rom.. 10:16-17, NKJV NKJ V). While reading this passage from Romans, Moody was awak awakened ened to a new ne w spi sp iritual tua l un unders derstand tandiing ng,, and this awak awakeni ening ng
sparked something in his faith. The enlightenment involved his renewed faith in the Word, and he discovered that he was able to return to it whenever he felt his faith weakened. After discovering a way to restore faith from the Word, he meditated on the Word every morning and prayed to God for stronger faith. To help nurture his faith, he verbally confessed and claimed the Word and tried to practice it in all aspects of his life. Moody went on to become one of the giants of faith who shook the world with the gospel’s message. He wrote, “The Bible at times became a bed to lie on, a torch in times o darkness, a tool when I was working, a musical instrument when I praised God, a teacher when I was ignorant and a rock of fou found ndati ation on when I took too k fals als e steps s teps .” The Leap of Faith through the Holy Spirit
One important figure who made an impact on eighteenthcentury England is John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. When Wesley was a student at Oxford University, he surrendered his life and passion to God. He then became a missionary and sailed across the ocean to America. However, he failed miserably as a missionary. Then a crisis of faith befell him, as he returned to England with deep disappointment in his heart. While sailing back home, a terrible storm that put everyone in grave danger threatened the sailing vessel. Everyone on board, including Wesley, began to run about in confusion. A group of Moravian believers overcame the fear
that had been caused by the storm by praising God and trusting in Him. Witnessing all that happened during this crisis caused Wesl Wes ley to be b e greatl greatly y astounded. as tounded. Soon thereafter, on May 24, 1738, Wesley experienced a power po werful ful anoint an ointiing of the t he Holy Holy Spiri Spirit at Al A lders de rsga gate te in Lon ondo don. n. He described the experience as follows: “I went to the gathering at Aldersgate that evening because my friend had strongly pressed me to go. A person was reading the preface to Luther’s translation of the Book of Romans. Around 9:15 p.m., p.m., he s tarted ta rted exp exp laining aining abou ab outt th t h e power p ower of God God that th at can s tir a change within the hearts of people through faith in Jesus Christ. At that moment, I felt a blazing fire burning in my heart. I realized that through faith in Christ I’m claimed righteous and am forgiven of my sins, leading to my salvation in the truth o Go d’s prom pro mis e.” Wesley had read Romans 10:16-17 prior to that experience, but becau be causs e he had ha d read it with with his h ead on onlly, and an d no nott with with his heart, it had been a mere intellectual exercise for him. During the evening at Aldersgate, however, he had truly experienced the power of the Word. It came in the form of a blaze in his heart, and he truly realized the meaning of forgiveness and righteousness through faith. A great light shone upon his spirit, and he experienced a truly great and pervading sense o oy deep within. He said that his heart had been “strangely warmed.” From then on, Wesley started sharing the gospel,
which hich ultim ultimately ately caus ed a gr g reat s tir tir throughou through outt Eng Englland. and . Many ask as ked Wesley Wesley how ho w he mus muster tered ed the th e str s trength ength to do d o what he had done. He answered them by saying, “I’ve always treasured the experience at Aldersgate deep down in my heart, and with that I was was able to accom acc ompli pliss h great thi th ing ngss .” However, it’s important to realize that we don’t change simply because we know the truth. When our heart experi experien ences ces the th e great g reat truth t ruth from from God throug th rough h the th e Holy Holy Spir Spirit, it it is that which gives us the courage and the strength to overcome any trials or tests. In communion with the Holy Spirit, Wesley grew in faith. We too should fill our hearts with the blaze of the Holy Spirit and walk with Him. The Holy Spiri Spiritt who s parked parked a fire fire in in Wes ley’s ey’s heart he art des ires to do the same thing within us. He helps us to know the truth and to remember the times when we’ve come to the light of truth. We need the Holy Spirit for our fourth-dimensional faith; it is He who will bring it to pass in our lives. Faith isn’t something that is created by our effort, but it is the grace and gift of God for thos e who who s eek it. Romans 8:26-27 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (NKJV). The Holy Spirit intercedes for us every time we
desperately need Him. He prays for us and guides us ceaselessly. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit that we can understand and know God’s will as it is revealed in the Word.
Union nion of Fai Fai th wi wi th Sp S pi ri tual Comp Companions
People of faith can greatly solidify their faith by uniting with other men and women of faith. Jesus reminds us, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20, NKJV). It’s important to know also that where there is even one righteous man, God will bless the very place where he stands. When we enter into fellowship with other men and women of faith, we expand the territory of the Kingdom of God. And from s uch uni u nity ty we gain gain the th e str s trength ength we need to s tand up up against the world. Not only that, but we also become the very s ou ourrce of s trength for other oth erss who look up upon on us u s for ins inspir pirati ation on.. In 1969, a few weeks before Dwight Eisenhower, a former pres ident de nt of the th e Unite United d State Sta tess , pas s ed away at a t the t he Walte Walterr Reed Army Hospital, Billy Graham visited him and spoke with him for thirty minutes. When Billy Graham got up to walk out of his room, President Eisenhower grabbed him by the arm and said, “Pasto “Pas tor, r, could co uld you yo u s tay a li little lon longer? ger? Pleas Pleas e be with with me.”
“Yes “Yes,, did did you y ou have hav e som s ometh ethiing on yo your ur mi mind nd?” ?”
“Pastor, I don’t feel like I’m ready to meet the Lord. Could you hel he lp me?” Billy Graham explained, “Only Jesus Christ can forgive us o our sins and accept us as His children. But we must believe that He suffered for our sins, died on the cross, and was resurrected from death. This has never been based on our merits.” He then grabbed Eisenhower’s hands and prayed for him. In tears, Eisenhower thanked the evangelist: “Thank you, pastor. I think I’m ready to meet the Lord. There is so much peace in my heart he art righ rightt no now. w.”” President Eisenhower passed away not long after that visit, and he was in good spirits when he did. Billy Graham’s conviction that was reflected in the prayer he prayed, gave Pres Presiident den t Ei Eis enhower enh ower true peace pe ace as he pl p laced his faith faith in God God..
If you ever feel that your faith isn’t strong enough, seek out another person to be your spiritual companion. There is much wisdom in asking him or her to intercede in your beha be hallf. Pray Prayers ers that th at are roote roo ted d in un uniified fied faith faith bring bring renewed conviction conviction and peace.
Practicing Faith is for a Lifetime
As lon ong g as we li live in this this world, orld, we we need to be s teadf tead fast as t in in our o ur faith aith and a nd plant plant ou ourr ho hopes pes in Heaven abov ab ove. e. Even Even if ou ourr present pres ent circumstances seem dark and gloomy, we must look up to God and not focus on our immediate surroundings. We must hold onto on to ou ourr fai faith th and keep tr t rus ting ting in God God.. In the end God will work for our good because we love Him, and we have been called according to His purpose. (See Rom. 8:28.). This will happen as we strive to live in faith and develop spiritual habits in our lives. From the Word we must find ways to strengthen our faith and grow in faith. We must also seek communion with the Holy Spirit. We will s trengthen trength en our o ur fai faith th as we gather gat her wi with other oth er men men and an d women women o faith. We shall experience marvelous things and miracles if we learn to live in faith. However, learning to live in faith does not happen overnight. In fact, it’s a lifetime project. That’s why it mus t beco b ecom me habitua h abituall in our o ur li lives . The peop pe oplle of o f fai faith th we see s ee in the Scriptures are people who have spent their lives learning and practicing their faith. This is how fourth-dimensional faith is nu nurrtur tu red and an d devel dev elop oped ed in in our ou r lives .
3 Dreams
Chang Changee the Fourth-Di ourth-Di mens ional Realm wi wi thin You
The Bible says, “Where there is no revelation, the peop pe oplle cas t o ff restraint; res traint; bu butt happ ha ppy y is he who keeps eep s the th e law” (Prov. 29:18, NKJV).
We mus mus t cheri ch eriss h our o ur God God-gi -given ven dreams dreams . Peo People ple who who attem att empt pt to live without revelation are doomed to perish. If there is no dream or vision within our heart today, there will be no tomorrow. If eggs aren’t incubated, there won’t be chicks. Therefore, we must live with dreams and visions in our hearts. In due time, our dreams and visions will hatch from their shells and manifes anifestt in ou ourr reali reality ty.. What do you dream? Do your dreams come from selfishness? We need to learn to be very discriminating about this. That’s becau be causs e greed gree d that th at is conc co nceived eived in the th e fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al realm will be actualized in our three-dimensional lives. There is
a huge difference between good dreams and greed. In good dreams there are hopes for tomorrow, but dreams that stem fro fro m greed gree d lead us to b reak laws and an d com c omm mit cri c rim mes . There is a reason why young Moses failed miserably in his attempts to rescue his people. Part of the problem was that he had envi env is ioned the rescue bas b ased ed on his his you youthful thful vigor vigor and his his own plans. No matter what the dream is, if God isn’t in it, selfish greed and ambitions will always destroy it. Abraham and Joseph, on the other hand, experienced victory in spite o hardships and afflictions. That’s because they both dreamed with with Go d . When we dwell in God, there are certain dreams that He will give to us. He instills dreams within us through the Scriptures and the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit, t, som s ometim etimes es even eve n while while we li lis ten to s ermon ermonss and messages, and sometimes while we are praying. Dreams from God are much more grand and vast than any other kinds of dreams dreams hu hum man bei be ing ngss may experi experien ence. ce. Moses dreamed of freeing his people, but God was dreami dreaming of turni tu rning ng His His people peo ple int into o a ho holly nation, n ation, a king kingdo dom mo pries pries ts . God s po poke ke to Mo Moss es , “‘And “‘An d yo you u s hal ha ll be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Exod. 19:6, KJV). As such, God’s dreams are bigger and wider than any other kinds of dreams. That’s why we need to dream the boun bo undles dlesss dream drea ms o f God od.. And A nd like Jos eph, ep h, we need ne ed to tak ta ke hold of the dreams God gives to us. Through His dreams we
are able to overcome the afflictions and difficulties of life. The dreams we come to cherish through God are found in the fourth-dimensional realm. And those dreams manifest in our reality after we seize the third-dimensional realm. Now, examine your fourth-dimensional dreams and change them accordingly. The following points will show you how to change your dreams.
1. Hope in i n God God’’s Great Great Mysterious Works. Wo rks.
Always wait on God to give you glorious and amazing dreams. Don’t ever allow yourself to dream of your path pa th beco be com ming a dead de ad-end -end.. Hope Hop e and an d wait wait on God in full full anti ant icipat cipatiion that th at He wil will give you y ou awesom awes omee dream d reamss . Like someone standing on the edge of a steep cliff, there are mom oment entss in ou ourr li lives when probl prob lems ems becom be comee too t oo diffi difficult cult for us to resolve es olve on ou ourr own. own. At s uch tim times the Scri Scriptur ptu re remi remind ndss us us,, “Nothi “Noth ing is impo poss s ible wi with God God.” .” Tha That’s t’s abs a bs olutely ri righ ght! t! When we think despair lies ahead of us, God says there is hope. God carries out mysterious works that we will never be able to fully comprehend. All we have to do at such times is to place our trust in our God, the One who moves in mysterious ways. What’s even more amazing is that when we
trust Him and cherish those awesome dreams, God bestows miracles upon us. It is this knowledge that enables us to carry on with with ou ourr lives . In 1965, after attending a major assembly that was held in Brazil, I went back to the Rio de Janeiro Airport to wait for my plane. plane . A man man who loo ooked ked lik like a local oc al pol po liceman ceman appro ap proach ached ed me and asked to see my passport. Without any hesitation, I hand ha nded ed it to t o hi h im. You won’t beli b eliev evee what he did nex n ext. t. This “officer” ran away with my passport! At that time, I didn’t know anybody in Brazil, so I felt completely helpless. The time came to board the airplane, but I couldn’t get on the plane. I didn’t have any money with me, because I had only brought enough for the needs of the trip. My legs felt weak and I coll collaps ed to t o the th e floo floorr. I had no choi cho ice but bu t to cry cry out o ut to t o God God.. I prayed, “God, have pity on me! What am I going to do? God, did did you y ou no nott s ay all things work togeth tog ether er for for the gr g reater glory glory o God? Well, I love you dearly, and following your will, I came all this way to Braz Braziil to be b e your yo ur wi witnes s and s hare the gos g ospel pel here here in Rio de Janeiro. Only you and you alone can help me now. Lord, I believe believe that th at all all thi th ing ngss do work work for for your yo ur gl g lory. ory. Reach Reach ou outt to me!” I continued to pray and to seek His guidance. Some minutes pas pa s s ed and a nd then th en a man man wearing wearing a suit s uit app ap p roached roach ed me. me. “Ex “Excus e me, me, aren’t you yo u Pas tor to r Yon ongg ggii Cho ho?” ?” I turned tu rned around aroun d to make sure there was no one else behind me that the man
could could be b e speak s peakiing to. Then I said, “Yes I am. I’m Yonggi Cho. How do you know my name?” “I have hav e a mi mis s ion onary ary fri friend, end , Lou Louiis P. Ri Richards cha rds,, who who went out o ut to Korea on a mission about ten years ago. He once sent me a written testimony with your picture on it. I remember being deeply moved by reading your testimony. But it’s so amazing to see you here in front of me. And also, it’s hard to believe that I can remember a face from a picture I saw ten years ago. But what brings you to Brazil? I had to see someone off – a friend from Sao Paulo – today. I was about to leave when I saw you; yo u; I though thou ghtt I wou woulld com co me over o ver and s ee if it reall really is yo you.” u.” I thought I would burst into tears at that moment. How great and big is the grace of God. I was stunned. My Lord had immediately respo res pond nded ed to my prayer praye r. After I com co mpo poss ed mys elf, elf, I began to tell him the whole story. He then told me that this kind of thing happened often in Brazil, especially to foreign visitors from from third-w third-worl orld d count cou ntri ries es.. He sai s aid, d, “You “You were so s o naï n aïve, ve, pas pa s tor to r. Tho Thoss e ki kind ndss of people peo ple usually ask for money. If you give them some change, they won’t take your passport. Anyway, I’m glad nothing worse happened.” With the gentleman’s help, I returned safely to Korea. I still thank than k God to this day ov over er that inciden incident. t. I won wonder der what what woul ou ld
have happened if God hadn’t heard my prayers. God is so good. He is so great. He is able to pull us out of all of life’s quagmires. Through this incident my faith in God was s trengthened trength ened and I fel feltt His His lov ovee deep do dow wn within. within.
You, too, can experience this amazing love from God. I don’t bel be lieve ev e Go d favored favo red me becau be causs e I am His His s ervant erva nt or becau be causs e I’m special in any way. God shall reveal great things to you, too, as long as you hold steadfa s teadfass t to you yourr fai faith, th, look look up to Him and s urren urrender der you y ourr wi will to Him Him. I sincerely sincerely ho hope pe yo you u will get ge t to to expe experi rien ence ce His His amaz amaziing work in yo your ur live livess . God’s Great and Awesome Mystery to the People of Israel
The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt illustrates how great and awesome God’s plan was toward His people. Through Moses, God freed the Israelites from the 430 years of bondage and slavery they had endured. But there were still obstacles to face. For example, they had to get across the Red Sea in order to get to Canaan. Hundreds of Egyptian chariots were following close on their heels. This, of course, meant that there could be no turning back. The people began to murmur and compl complai ain. n. They They resented resen ted the th e fact fact that Mos M oses es had br b roug ought ht them th em out of Egypt, and they felt that their doom was now assured. The Red Sea was in front of them, and the Egyptian armies were behind be hind them th em!!
Right then, however, God appeared to Moses, and He instructed him to look to Him. He assured him that He would take care of the situation, and directed Moses to hold out his hand. He said, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exod. 14:14, NKJV). When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, the waters parted, enabling the Israelites to cross over. (See Exod. 14:21). The Egy gypt ptiians an s all all drowned when he n they t hey tried tried to t o follow follow the Israel Is raeliites . God never forsook them. How could anyone have known this before be fore it happ ha ppen ened ed,, ho however? wever? The Egy gypt ptiians an s certai certa inly didn’t didn ’t kno now w, and the Is raeli aelites were ere full full of doub do ubt; t; bu butt Mos M os es believed believed God, followed His instructions, and everything changed. God had something in store for His people that no human being could possibly imagine. When Moses held out his staff, the Red Sea split in half. The Israelites, witnessing this, repented and clung firmly to the powerful hand of their God. And everyone crossed through the sea safely. The Egyptian chariots continued their chas e into the Red Sea, bu butt the waters s wall allowed them th em ali alive. This wasn’t some natural occurrence that happened by mere chan ch ance. ce. Rathe at herr, Go d display dis played ed His His aweso awes o me, mysterious plan and His might through this event so that all wou oulld be b e abl ab le to witn witnes esss it. This s ame ame God God is ready and an d wil willing to displ disp lay His His po power wer in our o ur li lives ve s as well well.
Eye h as not no t The Bible says, “But as it is written: ‘ Eye seen, seen , nor no r ear ea r heard he ard,, nor no r h ave av e entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’” (1 Cor. 2:9, NKJV). Firmly believe in God’s awesome blessings and in His love. As you do so, you will soon discover that He has many won onderf derful ul thing thingss in s tore for for you. you . God’s od’s Awes Awes ome ome and Myster ys teriious Work toward toward Us Us
God created the universe, and He created humans on the last day. He first created the habitat in which humans were to live – the world He wanted us to subdue and have dominion over. God provided all that we as humans needed, and because He lov oved ed us u s s o much much,, He He all allowed us to rule over what what He created. In the same way that God planned a whole new creation for Adam and Eve, He has plans for each one of us to be born agai aga in throug th rough h faith faith in Chri Chriss t. Through Throu ghou outt all eterni ete rnity ty ou ourr Lord Lord had h ad our o ur sal s alva vation tion in mi mind nd.. We We did not somehow accidentally commit sin and then by coincidence become the beneficiary of forgiveness and salvation. Before the foundation of the world the cross o Jesus Christ had already been prepared to rescue us from our sins. Genesis 3:15 says, “And I will put enmity between you and the t he woman, woman, and between your you r seed and an d her h er Seed; Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (NKJV). This passage gives a hint about what would eventually
happen. We must acknowledge and believe that the work of Christ on the cross wasn’t a mere afterthought in God’s mind, but bu t it was an even ev entt that th at He had ha d thoro th orou u gh ghlly planne plan ned d in advance. Our Lord came into this world in human form. He was born bo rn into nt o the th e world world throu th rough gh the th e Virgin rgin Mary Ma ry.. In the th e birth birth of Jesus we learn what the above verse means. Jesus, who was born bo rn of the th e Virgin rgin Mary Ma ry,, was s ent en t from from God God to conq co nqu u er Satan Sat an.. God had thi th is plan in mi mind lon ong g before the th e fall fall of Adam A dam and Eve. Six hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah predi pred icted ct ed the th e s uffering uffering o f Christ on the th e cros s : “Surel “ Surely y He has ha s borne bo rne ou ourr gri g rief ef and an d carried carried ou ourr s orrows; orrows ; yet ye t we este es teem emed ed Him Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:4-5, NKJV). This passage alludes to the fact that God had developed the plan of o f s alvati alvat ion throu th rough gh Jes us Chris hris t long before be fore the th e Fall Fall. The reason we are saved by believing in Jesus Christ is found in the fact that God had prepared the road to salvation well in advance. As a result, you have become someone who understands a great and tremend tremendou ouss s ecret: You are are forgiven forgiven of o f your si s ins by bel be lievi ev ing in Chris hris t. Thi Th is is h ow vas v as t God God’’s lov ovee and a nd po power wer are. are. o one can understand this great truth through mere knowledge or intuition. God transcends all human knowledge. Therefore we must believe in our hearts what He has done for
us and provided for us. No matter what we face in our lives, we must not ever allow ourselves to become perturbed. We must bel be lieve ev e that th at God God is in cont co ntrol rol.. We may may not n ot have ha ve a pl p lan, an , bu butt God God does. Keep these prophetic words in your heart: “Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answ ans wer you, and s how you great great and mighty ght y thi th ings , whi which ch you y ou do not know’” (Jer. 33:2-3, NKJV). Have faith in God’s promises and believe them firmly. We are truly blessed people, and we are part of God’s awesome and mys teriou teriouss plan. plan.
What We Ought to Dream
We must always dream as if awesome and mysterious events are going to occur in our lives. Do not ever allow yourself to dream of darkness pervading your life. Instead, dream positive and optimistic dreams, dreams that are full of high hopes, and do so in good faith regarding God’s good promises. Believe that God will surely manifest His wonderful works in your life, and as you anticipate His miracles, keep your heart and your mouth open. He will fill your heart and your mouth, and He is completel completely y abl ab le to provi prov ide al a ll that th at you y ou need nee d and an d muc much h more. more.
Once there t here was was a moth mother er who had been divo divorrced, and s he lived lived with her small son in the poorest of circumstances. They went about their lives on a day-to-day basis, but they were barely able to make ake ends en ds meet. The youn yo ung g boy b oy frequent equ entlly fretted fretted and cri cried. One One day d ay he s aid, aid, “Mom “M om,, buy bu y me me a cat. c at. Pleas Pleas e. I’d I’d li like to t o hav h avee a cat.” c at.” Unfortunately, the mother had no money to buy her son a cat. This caused her to be disappointed and she began to grieve over ov er the ci c ircums rcums tances tan ces of her li life. Her son pled with her, “My friend has a dog and a cat. Why won on’’t you y ou get me me a pet?” pet ?” After the mother calmed him down, she told him, “Son, why don’t we pray to our good heavenly Father. God will surely give give us u s a cat for a present.” prese nt.” Then they both began to pray with their hands firmly clasped together. She prayed, “Father, you know our dire circumstances. Please give us a cat. We have no money to buy a cat. Father God, we earnestly pray to you. Have mercy on us. We pray in Jesus’ name.” The s on ask as ked his mothe ot her, r, “Do you yo u reall really bel b eliieve God wil will s end us a cat?” cat?”
“Absolutely! Our God is able. A cat! That’s nothing for Him, son. I’m sure He will…let’s just wait and see. If He doesn’t, we’ll just continue to pray. He listens to all our prayers. Let’s ustt keep pr us p raying aying and dream that tha t He wi will bring bring this to pas s .” The two of them conti con tinu nued ed to t o pr p ray for sever sev eral al days day s . Then, on a hot, h ot, s un unny ny s um umm mer day, day, as the mother oth er was was knitting nitting in their front yard and the son was scribbling on a piece o pape pa perr nex ne xt to her he r, s om omet ething hing amaz amaziing happ ha ppen ened ed.. They The y b oth ot h saw something dark falling out of the sky, and they were completely shocked by what they saw. A cat falling out of the sky? They just couldn’t believe it. They both jumped up and down in total happiness and joy. God had answered their prayer pray er.. Thi Th is s tory to ry s pread prea d like wil wildfire dfire al a ll over ov er A merica. erica. It even ev en found its way into the newspapers under this headline: “A Cat Out of the th e Sky.” Sky.” As time passed, a man appeared at their doorstep. He claimed to be b e the ow o wner of the cat and an d tol to ld the th e mother mother and her son s on that he wanted to take the cat home with him. It all seemed so absurd. The man explained that he lived 800 km away from them. He told them that one day the cat climbed a tree and didn’t come down from it, and he had desperately tried to get it down without success. Finally, he tried to bend the tree limbs, but bu t he acci acc ident de ntall ally y let go of the th e limbs , and a nd the th e cat s prang pran g ou outt of the branches into the sky and disappeared! The man bel be lieved ev ed that th at his cat had ha d flown flown 800 km and an d land an d ed in their th eir fron frontt
yard. After explaining all this, he demanded that they give the cat back to him. But the mother and her son didn’t believe his story. They told him that the cat was a gift from God. Ultimately, the matter went to court. The court then ordered some men to conduct an experiment. They tried to simulate what the man claimed had happened. They repeated the experiment numerous times to confirm their finding and discovered that something with the cat’s weight would not fly more than twenty to thirty meters. The experiments did not provide pro vide proof pro of of what the th e man was claim claiming ng.. In the th e end, en d, therefore, the court ruled in favor of the mother and the child, and they th ey called called the th e cat “the “th e gift gift from from God od.” .” This story goes beyond the scope of most of our day-to-day experiences. Even so, it helps us to see that God is someone able to perform spectacular and miraculous things for His peop pe oplle. Theref The refo o re, yo you u are abl ab le to dream s om omet ething hing as seemingly absurd as this story. Remember, if you dream big, your big dreams will lead you through the difficult times of life. So dream and anticipate God’s amazing works. Then these thi th ing ngss will becom be comee you y ours. rs. You You mus t bel b eliieve that th at God has ha s many an y wonderful things in store for you. Dream that He’s going to perf pe rform orm thes th es e thi th ing ngss in yo your ur life. Don’t let go of yo your ur ho hope pe,, and keep on praying that th at yo your ur dream d reamss will becom beco me reali reality. I can ass as s ure you that yo your ur dreams dreams will truly truly becom b ecomee yours yo urs s om omeday eday..
2. Write Down Your Dreams.
First, register your dreams in your heart. Then record the dreams with all their details in written form. Keep it in front o you, and pray until you have absolute certainty within your heart that th at you y ou will achieve thos tho s e dreams dreams . As yo you u do d o all this, be s ure to exam examiine you y ourr dreams dreams in the t he ligh lightt of o f the th e Word. W ord. What do you dream? Create a written record of your dreams right now and place it somewhere that is easily accessible so you can refer to it often. I encourage you to do this because you need to remember your dreams and see them manifesting before be fore yo your ur eyes ey es.. There The re is profou pro foun n d impo portan rtance ce in thi th is , becau be causs e it it enab en ablles yo you u to t o see s ee God God at work in you y ourr life.
Thoroughly Spell Out Your Goals
I once led a s emi eminar on chur chu rch growth growth for pas tors in Aus trali tralia. Their first reaction to my teaching was that church growth would be impossible in Australia. Many of them felt that such growth would be possible only in places like the US and Korea. They were quite pessimistic indeed. They also reasoned that most Australians were more into enjoying exercise and their leisure time instead of spiritual matters. The number o Australians who were attending church at that time was quite
low. In view of all this, on the last day of the seminar I propo pro poss ed thi th is to the th e grou g roup: p: “Get “Get a piece of pap p aper er and an d a penc pe nciil. Write down what you’ve been praying for and what you hope the s tatus tatu s of your yo ur chur chu rch will be in two years. years . Also write down d own in detail just how many members you expect to have in your congregati con gregation on in two year yea rs .” Everyone veryon e began b egan to write do dow wn their expecta expectati tion onss , vis vis ion onss , and dreams. They had different goals in mind. Some wrote down, “Fifty “Fifty mem members bers in two years y ears,” ,” whil while oth o thers ers wrote, “A Chu hurch rch o 100 members.” Then there were others who wrote, “300 to 500 members.” I then went on: “Place that paper in a visible spot in your office. Look at it and pray over it day and night. Record the vision in your heart, and expect the Holy Spirit to work power po werful fullly.” After two years had passed, I returned to Australia for another conference. The president of the Assemblies of God met me and, and , wi with tears in hi h is eyes ey es,, he remark remarked, ed, “Pastor, our church had seen no growth in ten years. But as I dreamt and prayed, as you told us to do, we witnessed 100 percen pe rcentt growth gro wth in jus t two years ye ars!! A nd it is n’t jus t ou ourr chu c hurch. rch. Many other churches throughout Australia are experiencing growth as well.”
This is a living proof of the power of dreaming and praying. Applying the principle of prayerful dreaming, one church in Aus tral traliia grew to a congr cong regation egation of thous ands !
As I write this, I am dreaming of planting some 500 churches in various places throughout Korea. With clear goals and a detailed plan, I dream about this day and night. I also dream o hollding all s orts of maj ho major or ass as s embli emblies es thr th rou ough ghou outt the th e worl world. d. The ultimate goal of my dream is to take the gospel to the uttermost parts pa rts of the th e world. world. So I wake wake up whil while dream drea ming that th at gloriou gloriouss vision and take that dream to sleep with me. When dreams are kept in their t heir proper prop er perspect persp ectiive, ve , they will produc prod ucee faith faith,, and the t he Holy Spirit will work through them mightily and powerfully. That’s why you must cherish your God-given dreams within your heart. Those dreams will become the very mighty hands of God God that th at will mold mold and an d create you y ourr fut future. ure.
During a trip to South America, I met a pastor by the name of Cabrera. Pastor Cabrera shared his own testimony about God’s marvelous works with me. He told me how long ago, a mother broug bro ught ht to him a chi ch ild with withou outt on onee ear and an d as ked h im to pray and lay his hands on the boy. While he was praying, Pastor Cabrera dreamed of God creating a brand-new ear for the boy. He prayed earnestly for this to happen. After some time had pas pa s s ed, ed , much uc h to his s urpri urp riss e, he s aw what appe ap peared ared to be a lump growing out of the side of the boy’s head where there was no ear. He was quite shocked to witness this, but kept
prayi pray ing for the th e boy. bo y. A while later, the boy and his mother returned for more prayer. So in faith the pastor prayed, and he dreamt once again of the boy receiving a new ear. He then told the child’s mother oth er to thi th ink as if her child child had h ad both b oth ears ears and to recite ecite ever ev ery y morning orning,, “My preciou preciouss baby, bab y, your you r ears ears are are so s o pr p retty.” etty .” She did this, but nothing particularly different occurred. Nonetheless, the pastor carried on with the prayer, and he continued to dream. The next time when the mother broug bro ught ht her he r s o n for p rayer, rayer, the th e pas pa s tor to r p ut his hand ha nd on the th e boy’ bo y’ss h ead, ead , prayed p rayed a prayer pray er of faith faith,, and a nd when he op open ened ed his eyes , the lump lump that had s tarted form forming actual actu allly s pread out o ut like the open o peniing of a fol folding ding fan! The boy bo y had h ad a new n ew ear! What an amazing work took place before their eyes. Only God could perform such a miracle. This is how dreams are fulfilled. Create and picture what you expect to have happen in faith. Eventually this will lead to a time when you will actually see everything you have imagined becoming manifest before your eyes eyes.. Therefore, be sure your fourth-dimensional dreams are specific and detail de tailed ed.. This This will ens ure that th at what ha t wil will appea ap pearr in in the t he threeth reedimensional realm won’t be some obscure occurrence, but something that is real and specific when it is manifested. That is why you y ou need n eed to im imagine agine what what you yo u want and us e that as the focal point for the th e reali realization of your yo ur goal go alss .
In order to achieve your dreams and to see them appear in all their elaborate detail, you will need to back them up with earnes earnes t pr p rayer. ayer. One One reason eas on for fas fasti ting ng is to bring bring clar clariity to yo your ur fourth-dimensional realm. Fasting helps to remove any cloudiness that may be there. When we fast, we are cutting of the s ou ourrce that tha t fuels fuels ou ourr s trong wills and makes akes us believe believe that t hat “I can do this.” Fasting leads us to let go of our own wills. In the process, we learn to look up to God and allow Him to change us us.. When we exper experiience the th e changes chang es He brings brings about, about , our fourth-dimensional realm will change as well. God works in our midst and helps us to see our dreams come to their fulfillment in all their minute details. Therefore I urge you to find clear clearer er goals and dreams dreams through throug h prayer.
S et G Goa oall s that that are Cross Cros s -App -Approved roved
All athletes, heads of households, and sick patients share one thing in common: Each group has earnest desires or goals in mind. But we must be different from them. We must become individuals who dream the same dreams, but we must do so differently. We must look to the cross of Jesus Christ and dream of our spirits and bodies becoming free from any and all illnesses and wholeheartedly accept these goals with all their details details in our o ur hearts. hearts . No matte at terr what ou ourr pres ent en t circu circum ms tanc ta nces es are or what the conditions of our lives may be, we must not be too
ardently attached to and worried about them. We must open our hearts to receive the dreams of Christ. Peter writes, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24, NKJV). We must accept Jesus’ dreams through the cross. Then we shall experience a healing, and we will witness God’s mighty power and have all of the th e s tum tu mbling bling blocks remov removed ed from from ou ourr li lives ve s .
When we look to the cross, we must remember the blessings and goodness that were bestowed upon Abraham and the goals of his dream. We must first get rid of any stumbling blocks that th at may lead us to bel be lieve ev e that th at ou ourr lives ve s have ha ve b een cursed with poverty. Then we must open our hearts to accept the kinds of blessings and goodness Abraham experienced. This This , I beli believe, is is the dream of Jesus Jesu s for each one o ne of o f us. us . Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’)” (NKJV). The kinds of goals and dreams we set must be the kinds that are are “approved” by the t he cros crosss of Jes Jesus us Chris hris t. Furthermore, it’s very important for you to realize that the notion of eventual success in this world isn’t appl app licable to us as beli believers, evers , becaus e the th e worl world d isn’ isn ’t our o ur home. There are special goals that may influence even the eternal world. Paul writes, “For we know that if our earthly house, this
tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1, NKJV). Let’s et’s loo ook k to Jesus Jes us who bo borre the th e cross cros s on ou ourr behalf behalf. And An d let’s let’s dream dreams. As we do so, our hopes will transcend the boun bo unda dari ries es of the th e utte ut term rmos os t ends en ds of the th e earth and an d reach into nt o the heavens heavens..
2. Start from the Petty Matters as You Strive to Achieve Your Dreams.
As incubators allow premature newborns to recuperate gradually, start from your “smaller” dreams and begin be gin to cul cu ltivate tivat e them th em.. Walk Walk with with the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit as yo you u comm commit you y ourse rsellf to eve e ven n s mall all, ins ins ign gniifican ficantt matt matters ers.. As yo you u do do s o, ri ris e above abov e all all hardshi hards hips ps.. Dreams that come from the cross must be planted before any fruit can be harvested. No matter how difficult your present circumstances might be, if you plant sanctified dreams with the help of o f the Holy Spiri Spirit, t, then th en yo your ur dreams dreams wil will pervade perva de the th e threet hreedimensional realm and start to cause changes within your life.You will be transformed from death to life, from chaos to order, from darkness to light, and from poverty to wealth. The chang cha ngiing po poiint in yo your ur li life wil will be realiz ealized throug th rough h yo your ur fourthdimensional dreams. So plant your dreams and be sure to cultiva cultivate te them th em..
Be Prepared Prior to Achieving Your Dreams
All human beings earnestly desire for changes to take place in thei th eirr li lives , and they th ey want to t o accom acco mplis plis h thei th eirr dreams dreams . However However,, mos t peop p eoplle onl on ly wis wis h to t o have h ave thei th eirr dreams dreams fulfi fulfillled; they th ey don d on’’t do any planning in advance, which is the most crucial element in accomplishing your dreams. If you have dreams, then you need to be sure that they will come true and start to believe as if you’ve already achieved them. This is advance planning. For unprepared individuals, dreams will remain just as dreams. To actual actu aliize one o ne’s ’s dr d reams eams is often too to o di d iffi fficul cu lt for many many people. peo ple. The curr cu rren entt sanc s anctu tuary ary at Yoido Yoido Full Gos pel pe l Chu hurch rch has been bee n expanded from the old one. As the church grew, I made plans to build a town that would surround the church, which would be in the th e midd ddlle o f the th e town. to wn. We expa expan n ded de d the th e infrastruc nfras tructu ture re by bu buiilding a cente cen terr that th at was d edi ed icated cat ed to educ ed ucat atiion onal al purpo pu rposs es , two mis s io ns head he adqu quarters arters,, and an d othe ot herr facil facilities. ties . We also established a newspaper and named it Kok Ko k -min -min Ilbo Ilb o . We went on to make plans to build centers on Prayer Mountain as well. We did all this because we saw the need for more facilities that would enable people to come and worship God in spirit and to have fellowship with other believers. When we s tarted ta rted bu buiilding the th e Yoido Yoido church ch urch,, I had ha d only o nly $2,0 $2,000 00 in my my pos po s s ess es s ion on,, bu butt the th e neces ne ces s ary bu bud d get ge t for the th e bu buiilding p roject roject
was set at around $2,000,000! In the face of this, I went to God and ask as ked Him Him to help help us u s to appropri appropriate the necess neces s ary ary funds . I determ det ermiined ne d that t hat God wou oulld be b e my my s ou ource. rce.
Once you firmly grab hold of the vision God gives and keep it in your heart with passion, you will discover that the issues of financing and budgeting will come last. God will take take care of ever ev eryth ythiing els els e. We need to establish priorities as we endeavor to glorify God. First First,, we we need ne ed to t o be b e sure s ure that th at what we’re we’re dreami dreaming and an d doing d oing is the will of God. Second, we must establish clear-cut goals. Third, we need heart-felt passion to achieve those goals. Lastly, as tly, we we mus mus t go g o forth forth in the th e faith faith that th at God wil will surel su rely y be with us un until til the th e end. en d. Once all thes th esee matt matters ers are set s et in place, it’ it’ss time time to pull out a calculator and start paying the bills. In my case, I daringly pushed forward, believing that the needed money would be provided. In developing your plans, remember that the immediate surroundings and circumstances are insignificant. Simply stride forward in faith. It is God who will cause things things to happen. Expectant parents prepare for the arrival of their child by getting getting clothes clothes , shoes sho es,, and a bed b ed for the new n ewborn. born. Thi Thiss is quite quite appropriate. Likewise, our dreams need certain basic preparation prep arationss in order ord er for them th em to be fulfi fulfillled. ed . If a dream d ream is bo born, rn, there needs to be a realistic plan for it. We must rely on the Holy Spirit. That is the only way for dreams to be born and
accomplished. Once the dream has been achieved, there also needs need s to be b e a place place – a “dr “d ream bed” bed ” – in in which which you y ou can lay lay the th e dream down. I would like you to be prepared. God dreams that all His churches will share the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. We must strive toward achieving His dream, while realizing that God is our primary source. And as we move forw forward with with God by ou ourr side, we wi will never ne ver be b e di d is appointed app ointed!! Pray Until You Are Convinced That Your Dreams Have Already Been Achieved
In Genesis 17 we read that God promised a child to Abram when he turned ninety-nine ninety-nine years of age. Abr Ab ram and Sarah Sarah had no children, but God told them to desire a child as if they already had one. Then Abram became ninety-nine years old and Sarah was eighty-nine years old. They were both snowyhaired elders without any heirs. God made them change their names to Abraham, “the father of many generations” and Sarah, Sarah, “the “th e mot mothe herr of many many generati gen eration onss .” They must have wondered why God gave them such names, becau be causs e they th ey s till till didn’t didn ’t hav h avee any an y chi ch ildren. dren . However Howeve r, in God God’’s mind, a child was on the way. The reason God told them to desire and claim the very thing they didn’t have as if they did have it is because in God’s mind everything is in the present tense. That means that Isaac was already born before God, but humans couldn’t see him. That is why God told them to desire
a son s on as if they alr already had h ad one. on e. Believers must take on the faith that enables them to be convinced to the point that they are able to verbally admit that they have the very thing they don’t seem to have. Our Lord tells us, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have hav e them t hem”” (Mark 11:24, NK NKJV JV). ). Jesus Jes us charges cha rges us to thi th ink, see, se e, and bel be lieve ev e the th e very ve ry thing tha t hatt is is n’t visi vis ible. Even ve n if it may may s eem like you haven’t received it, believe as if you already have received received it. In another passage, our Lord says, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the s ea,’ ea,’ and does not dou doubt bt in his his heart, heart, but bel b eliieves that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23, NKJV). Here Jesus is explaining that before you tell the mountain to be removed and be cast into the sea, you must pray, believe, and accept (in your heart) that it has alr already been accompl accompliis hed. hed . You mus t gi g ive all yo your ur heart and an d s ou oull to whatev ha tever er you are prayi pray ing for. for. Someo Someone ne migh ghtt as a s k, “How lon long g s h ou oulld on onee pray?” p ray?” The answer is: until the Holy Spirit comes to your heart and s peaks peaks these thes e wor words ds to you: yo u: “Your prayer has been answered. t’s t’s been done. don e.” ” So pray until you are absolutely filled with the full full conv co nviiction that th at the th e Holy Spiri Spiritt wil will bring bring to yo your ur heart. he art. Whenever I begin to pray about something, the object usually
seems quite distant in the beginning. But as I pray, “God, answer my prayer,” then that which seems far off begins to draw clos clos er to me. me. And on onee day, day , as I continue to pray, my my hear h eartt will be filled with the full conviction that my prayer has been ans wered. ered. Ri Righ ghtt then t hen,, I will s tart to s ee the th e ver v ery y thi t hing ng that is n’t there yet, and I will begin to claim, “My prayer has been answered.” Many sick people will go up to Prayer Mountain to pray and fast over their illnesses. Now, as these people are ascending the mountain, full healing may seem very far away to them, almost beyond their reach. But as days pass by, and the sick pers pe rson on beco be com mes full fully enga en gage ged d in fasting fas ting and an d prayer pray er,, he h e or s he will feel a healing in his or her heart, and then a sense of full conviction will come to him or her and he or she will be able to s ay, “Yes “Yes , I’m I’m h ealed!” Then Th en the th e pers p erson on wil will take ta ke notice no tice of o f his his or her body bod y and a nd think he or o r she sh e is is n’t healed after all all. These Thes e folk folk need to remember that when Jesus cursed the fig tree, it didn’t shrivel immediately; instead, it died the next day. Likewise, even when one feels that he or she is fully healed, but finds that the illness is still with him or her, the individual needs to wait a few days after returning home in faith, and then he or s he s hal ha ll expe experi rien ence ce ful fu ll recovery. recov ery. Hall Hallelujah elujah!! It often takes time for something that is believed to become manifest. The principle that is at work regarding this is similar to what happens to uprooted grass, which doesn’t die right away, but does so eventually. There is frequently a time of waiting for something that is believed to actually come to full
fruition.
There was a member of our church who couldn’t even walk a few steps due to a failing heart. Her doctor told her that surgery to open up her clogged arteries was mandatory. Even so, she postponed the surgery and instead went up Prayer Mountai Moun tain n and began beg an to pray. She prayed, “Father God, I offer you the money that would pay for the th e surgery. s urgery. I wou oulld lik like to ask as k yo you u to t o operate o perate on o n me.” me.” To unbelievers, nothing could be more foolish than this prayer. How can one who is suffering from clogged arteries get well without the necessary surgery? But this lady felt a conviction in her he r heart, and s he heard h eard a voice that s aid, aid, “Get up and move around !” !” What she had heard was the voice of our Lord. In her condition, she might have died if she did what the voice directed her to do. Nonetheless, her conviction was overwhel overwhelm mingly ngly s trong trong,, so s he decided decided to get up and do d o as s he was told. In the process, she didn’t feel any shortness o breath, breat h, and an d s he con c ontinu tinued ed to t o pray. p ray. Then she heard a voice telling her to run up to Elijah Peak and return. Elijah Peak is located halfway up the hill of our Prayer Mountain. Even for young healthy men, such a run would be difficult. But she did as she felt she was told to do,
and she ran up to Elijah Peak! Like a normal, healthy person, she easily made the run up the hill. A miracle had occurred in her body. She believed in the unthinkable, and she was completel completely y heal he aled ed..
When coming before God with our prayers, we must pray until we are abs olutely olutely convicted con victed that th at we have hav e received received His promi promis e. Even if what we’re praying for is overwhelmingly unthinkable, we mus mus t s til till pray for it. Such Such things as a non-bel no n-beliieving eving s po pous us e, what you dream for your children to become, dreams for your bus bu s ines ne s s , and an d a des de s ire to be healed he aled of s om omee illnes ne s s may s eem like a veritable Mount Everest of problems. However, these things that are beyond your power will lead you to cry out to God. Therefore, cry out to Him and pray until you are fully convi con vinced nced that God has heard and an d wil will ans wer your prayers. Be Committed to even Trivial Tasks as You look Toward the Fulfillment of Your Dreams
The successor to the famous American steel giant, Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel, was Charles Schwab. With only an elem element entar ary y edu e ducati cation on,, he began b egan his his career career wi with the compan company y as a worker who did odd jobs. Even though he was doing odd obss , he work ob worked ed har h ard d and an d alw always kept his his ho hopes pes up up.. He He alw always gave his best, even to mundane and petty tasks. He always looked to the future and dreamed of becoming someone s ucces s ful. ul. In In fact, he began b egan to s ee hims hims elf elf as the ow o wner of the compan company, y, and he handl han dled ed everythi everyth ing from that po poiint of view view..
Every day he would clean every nook and cranny of the company. He cleaned these spaces as if they were his own room. Others mocked at his enthusiasm and diligence. But Charles harles ign gnored ored them th em and, and , rai rain n or o r shi sh ine, he did did hi h is bes t to t o keep the company clean. All the while he kept on dreaming that one day he would become the owner of the company. Before long, everyone saw his genuine heart, and they began to give him moral support. Gradually Schwab was promoted to full-time work wi with the th e com co mpany pa ny.. Even after the promotion, he never lost his strong work ethic. He kept his owner-like attitude and continued to work diligently. It wasn’t long before he became the “talk of the town.” President Carnegie was deeply touched by what he heard about Charles, and he recruited him to become his pers pe rson onal al s ecretary ecret ary.. Ch arles arles was lo yal ya l to the th e pres iden de n t. He constantly reminded himself of his personal motto, “I shall work like the owner of this company and take on the right attitude. If I’m told to go five miles, I shall go ten; if someone asks as ks for my my s hirt, hirt, I sha s halll give give him my jacket as well well.” Deeply moved by Charles’s dedication to the com co mpany pa ny,, Pres Presiident de nt Carnegie arne gie off o ffered ered Charl ha rles es $10 100, 0,0 000 in bo bonu nuss money at a time when the young man was making only two to three thousand dollars a year. President Carnegie complimented him at a company meeting and said that that no
one can put a price value on someone who works with an owner-like attitude. As President Carnegie’s retirement grew near, everyone wondered who would be his successor. People began to talk about their personal favorites: a Harvard graduate, a Princeton graduate gradu ate,, or the hei he ir of a ri rich, di d is tingui tingu is hed he d fami family. To everyone’s surprise, President Carnegie nominated Charles Schwab for the position, a man who had climbed up the ladder from odd jobs to becoming a personal secretary. Actually, the news shocked the whole world. President Carnegie stressed that the successor would be someone not of an educated or intelli ntelligent gen t back b ackgroun ground, d, but bu t s om omeon eonee who has on an ownerowner-like attitude in all he does and dreams for the company. In short, President Carnegie thought such a person would be his best successor. Give and do your best, no matter where you may be. God will help you. No matter how small and insignificant a task might seem to be, give it 100 percent! God is watching you, and He knows what’s in your heart. He will certainly make use of your intentions and bles blesss you with His benefits benefits.. I charge charge you y ou to do yourr best you bes t and to t o keep keep your yo ur focus focus on God. God. Tunnel of Hardship and Achieving Dreams
Dreams eams and wis hes do don’t n’t jus justt happ h appen en to t o com co me true. To To achi ac hieve eve them, everyone must travel through the tunnel of hardship.
Dreams have a dear price. For them to be realized, our strong wills must be broken and we must come into obedience to the Lord through hardship and suffering. God always makes those who are treading the wrong path, the path of destruction – those who are living by their own wills, thoughts, and plans – to return to Him through trials. God has prepared so many things for every individual, and He will bless those who tread the path p ath that t hat has h as been prepar prepared ed for them. them. Dreams aren’t cheap; everyone must pay a price to see them fulfi fulfillled. ed . Sufferi Suffering ng is God od’’s plan for us becau be causs e He knows it wil will break ou ourr s tub tu b bo born rn wil wills and an d lead us to return retu rn to God in obedience. Suffering allows our faith to grow, and it actually s trengthens trength ens it. Those Thos e who over ov ercom comee suff s ufferi ering ng and trial trialss are are the th e ones on es who ultim ultimately achi ach ieve thei th eirr dream dreamss . People who work out physically do so to strengthen their bodies. The same principle applies to the spiritual realm. Our dreams and hopes are strengthened through trials. Suffering is the seed that grows into big dreams and hopes. Throu Through gh s ufferi uffering ng,, we we wil will be abl ab le to cros cros s to the other oth er side. Suffering is like a tunnel through which we must pas pa s s in order ord er to t o achi ach ieve ev e ou ourr dream d reamss . With Withou outt pas pa s s ing throu th roug gh that tunnel, one can only remain where he or she is presently. But as a result of passing through it, he or she shall be able to cros crosss over to the other oth er s ide. As we pass pas s through through the tunnel tunn el of hardships and trials, we enter the world of big dreams and hopes.
Peter writes, “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7, NKJV). Afflictions are like a meal that is prepared on a tabl tab le of o f dream dreamss . That’s becaus b ecaus e all all dreams dreams have their price, and to achieve them, the price must be paid. I one holds onto one’s dreams, then he or she must eat from the table of afflictions. Eating from this table, figuratively speaking, causes him or her to gain more strength and courage and to move towards his or her dreams. To someone with dreams, hardships and trials may well seem insignificant. That’s becau be causs e they th ey reali realize that th at s u ch nega ne gative tive circu circum ms tanc ta nces es are nothing but a small step that needs to be taken on the road to s eeing their th eir dream drea ms fulfi fulfillled. ed .
2. Alway Alw ayss Cherish and Expa Ex pand nd Your Your Dreams Dreams of Hop Hope! e!
You mus tn’t ever be di d is appoi app ointed nted becaus becau s e what what you’r yo u’ree seeking isn’t yet visible. Have patience. Meditate on the suffering Jesus experienced on the cross. Live a life that is filled with with ho hope pe and an d s hare your you r hope with other oth erss . Do you y ou believe believe that th at God God is with you y ou alw always ? Do Do you y ou trust trus t that th at He will always protect you? This is what I mean by having
hope in Him. We have a God who is always willing to help us. That’s why we can do all things in Him. Anything that is thought, believed, and dreamed in God will come true. Therefore, Therefore, I urge you yo u to t o pr p ray hard h ard and earnes tly tly, as you y ou dream in the hope God gives to you, and never forget that you are God’s chos en bei b eing. ng. Mes s age of Hop Hopee
I planted my first church after I graduated from seminary in 1958. It was a tent church that we set up in Bulkwang-dong, Daejo Village, a poverty-stricken area of Seoul. The Korean War had ended and the village was swarming with poverty, dis dis eases eas es,, and dis dis order. order. Seoul was teeming with war refugees, and people flocked there from all over Korea. They experienced dire conditions there, and Daejo-dong was worse than the rest o Seoul. The people there were destitute. It was then that I started sharing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was certainly certainly a ripe ripe time time for the ligh ghtt of o f God God and an d the t he mess es s age ag e o hope ho pe to reach the th e people peo ple who lived lived ther the re. I preached preached,, “Peop “Peoplle, repen repentt and a nd receive eceive Jesus Jes us Chris hris t. Each Each and every one of you is precious before our God. Believe in Jesus Chris hris t and you y ou s hall hall be saved s aved!!” o one offered a retort to my crying out. Daejo-dong was full of alcoholics, thugs, and diseased people, but a particular
incident occurred that sent tremors through this village and certainly paved the way for my ministry to be catapulted into full full swi s wing ng.. In the maze of the crowded shacks of that area, one particular shack stood out. It was so decrepit that it really was on the verge of collapsing. I decided to go there to pay a visit to its occupan occu pants ts,, but it it took to ok a great great deal dea l of courage for for me me to do d o s o. I s tood in front front of the hovel hov el and as ked, “Anybody “Anyb ody hom home?” e?” A woman stuck her head out from the open door. “Who’s there?” she cried. Her name was Cho-hee Lee, and she was a refugee from the Bookchung area, which was north o Seoul. Cho-hee was a pitiful woman who had nine boys to take care care of and a hus hu s band ban d who was a drunkard. drunkard. She She s uffered uffered fr from a heart condition and ulcers, and her body was emaciated and bony. bo ny. It’s It’s reall really hard ha rd for me to des de s cribe cribe ho how w s h e loo ooked, ked, for s he was s o thi th in and an d frai fraill. Right then and there, I decided to witness to her. From then on I visited her every day, and during each visit I witnessed to her about Jesus and Heaven. Every time I did so, she would say that all religious people are liars and she would argue with me angrily, saying that there couldn’t be a Heaven in thi th is mess es s y world! world! She said, “I’m not concerned about where I go after death. Death is insignificant; my life right now is literally hell. Look around aroun d you y ou.. You s ee how h ow we we li live, don’t do n’t you? yo u? I want want to live
no w , not after I die! You s ho well now hould uld jus jus t leave!”
She was “witnessing” to me instead of me witnessing to her! Everything she had said was absolutely true, from her point o view view,, at leas least. t. I lis tened ten ed to her and returned to t o the th e tent ten t church. ch urch. I coul cou ldn dn’’t forget forget what s he had s aid aid to t o me, thoug tho ugh. h. I real realiized that some of her words were true. She had said that Heaven must come into our lives right now, and I thought about this for a long time. Then it hit me. I thought, “That’s it! Heaven is needed right now, not later! Didn’t the God I believed in want us to be happy now becaus becausee He He loved loved us ?” People betray God even though they were formed by His loving hand. All too often we take upon ourselves a heavy yoke, and we live our lives in sin. But God takes pity on us. He s ent His His only Son Son to be b e cursed and to di d ie and to be b e s acri acrificed and to lift the heavy yoke from off our shoulders. Through Jesus Jes us Chris hris t, God God offered offered us u s a way out o ut from from the th e li life of sin. For that historical work of salvation to take place in our lives, all we have to do is to believe in Jesus. Then all will be well well wi with us and an d ou ourr bod b odiies and an d s ou oulls wil will be as healthy he althy as can be. (See 3 John 2.) This promise isn’t made only to a select group grou p of peo p eople; ple; God God prepared prepa red it for all all humanity humanity,, and He made made it pos po s s ible ble for for all all to be b e saved s aved through t hrough the cross cros s of Jes Jesus us Chris hris t. The salvation of the cross isn’t just for the soul; it is also for the spirit, the flesh, and the present. His is a message o s alvat alvatiion for all all. This This is the th e Gos Gos pel pe l of Jesus Jes us Chris hris t. Cou Coulld there t here be any a ny greate grea terr lo ve tha t han n this t his??
By faith, you and I were forgiven and saved by God’s grace, and we wer weree rescued rescu ed from from the curse, curs e, thus becom beco ming ves s els els for God’s blessings. By faith, we can receive healings and salvation also. I met Jesus Christ through this hope that is grounded in faith. I discovered a pillar of fire of hope while reading God’s Word during the darkest moments of my life. And An d s ub ubss equently equ ently I became became a pas p astor tor.. Throu Through gh it all, all, I learned a poi po ign gnan antt les les s on abou ab outt ho h o w impo portan rtantt hop h opee is is . As I kept thinking about the woman in Daejo-dong, I realized how desperately she needed this message of hope in her life. So I went back b ack to her. h er. I asked, “Why don’t we straighten out our fate – yours and mine?” The woman became suspicious of what I was saying, so she asked, “What are you talking about? Why are you talking about fate? Whatever W hatever happened happen ed to the talk talk about abou t Heaven? You You are weird. Don’t waste my time. Get out!” She continued to pour po ur out ou t ranco ran corou rouss remark remarkss and an d ven v eno o m, but bu t I kep keptt reachi reach ing ou outt to her in in s pite of her words words.. I said, “I know someone who can straighten out your fate. Let us go together to meet Him. He can help your husband to quit drinking, offer your children an education, and feed all of you,
as well ell as pu putt a s olid olid roof over ov er your you r head. Com Comee on, o n, let’s let’s go go.” .” The woman finally perked up. Gradually but slowly she began to open op en up her heart. heart. Walking on the footpath between rice fields, we finally arrived at the tent church and walked inside, where old straw bags were ere sparsel s parsely y s cattered cattered to s erve erve as s eats for the congregation. congregation. “Wher “Wh eree are are we?” we?” she s he ask as ked.
“This “This is chur chu rch,” I said. She glanced around the tent church and all of sudden she burs bu rstt out o ut in laught laug hter. er. Then s he s aid, aid, “You “You kno now w wha what? t? You You need ne ed to fix fix yo your ur fate fate first first.. We are not no t any a ny differ different ent,, you yo u kno now w. You ourr fate fate is jus t as as path pa thet etiic as mine. ne . What Wh at makes yo you u thi th ink you yo u can c an do s om omet ething hing about abo ut mi mine?” ne ?” If you were there that day, I’m sure you would have burst out in laugh au ghter ter,, too. to o. But But taking taking courage co urage,, I spoke sp oke out ou t to t o her he r, “You “You’r ’ree right. Our fates are lame and pathetic. But in Jesus Christ we can find hope. By placing our faith in Christ, we can be saved and be blessed materially and be set free from the curse and bond bo ndag agee of s in. In Him Him, we can receive ph phys ys ical heali he aling ngss and an d receive an everlasting life. What do you say? Would you like
to place you y ourr faith faith in Him Him?”
Once I started talking about hope, she finally got her anger under control. From that day on, she came out to the tent church on a daily basis. We prayed and shared our hopes for the future. Amazingly, she started experiencing changes in her life. As she learned to live a life of hope, she was completely healed fr from her heart conditi con dition on and ulcers ulcers . She She then the n pr p rayed for three consecutive months, asking God to heal her alcoholic husband and lead him to the church. This was a true miracle. Go d was at work in thi th is woman woman’s ’s life. Before long, she was able to find a job through an ass as s ociation ociation of peop pe oplle from from her hom ho metown eto wn up no north. rth. Her Her li life was was getti gett ing better bett er and better b etter.. Soo Soon, n, her chil children were were abl ab le to attend atten d school; this in itself was a major miracle for this family. Furthermore, at that time people could build houses on vacant land with the t he cons co ns ent of o f the landowner. landowner. So through throug h the th e chur chu rch we bought a small piece of land (I co-signed on the deed), and we built a house for the family with building materials that were donated to us. Her life was no longer a living hell. The woman experienced the truth that all was well with her, and she realized that her body was healthy. It was truly remarkable. I, too, was bless bles s ed by God od’’s abun ab unda dant nt bless bles s ing ngss that th at were were b eing po poured ured out on her life and the realization of the message of hope, which which was exem exempli plifi fied ed by her he r chang cha nged ed life. This incident had a tremendous influence on my ministry. As a
result, I boldly proclaimed the message of hope to great numbers of people and witnessed about Christ to them. The tent church grew to a 500-member church in three years. This curse-ridden village gradually became a place of hope. The congregation prayed earnestly and lived diligently with hope filling their hearts. Pretty soon, the church was able to collect more offerings and went on to buy lands and build church bui bu ildings ding s . In 1961, we left the area and moved the church to Seodae-Gate area. area. We We opened op ened the t he chur chu rch on o n a bus y cor co rner of this this area, area, but many people ridiculed us as we did so. That’s because there were some prominent churches there – Independence Door Church and A-hyun Methodist Church, as well as Jungdong Church and Saemunan Church. Many people were baffled to see a twenty-six-year-old man with no ministry experience starting a church so close to these other very eminent churches.
My thoughts were filled with God and all He would and could do through us. More precious to me than anything was the hope that I had discovered in Jesus Christ. During the 1960s South Korea experienced a monumental leap in its development. President Park Chung-Hee led the Saemaul ovement , which sparked the industrialization of Seoul and many job seekers flocked to the city. With no place to stay, many foun ound d a refuge efuge in and an d about ab out Ahyun-dong Ahyu n-dong and Hyun yunjjuhdong do ng up in the t he hi h ills . Peop Peoplle came came who had h ad no n o mon money ey,, and they t hey
mov oved ed into the th e shac s hack ks I menti ent ion oned ed earl e arliier. To withstand the freezing winters, they constantly burned bu rned briqu briquet ette tess in o rder to maintai ainta in a d egree eg ree of warm warmth in their ho hom mes. es . In In s uch condi con diti tion onss , any s ligh ghtt bl b lowing owing of the wind might cause the carbon monoxide gas from the burners to drift into the shacks. This was quite common in the village, and it caused the people to endure severe headaches and other harmf harmful si s ide effect effectss . It was clear to me that these residents desperately needed to hear the message of hope. I felt as if God had given me this wonderful opportunity to take His message to them. This This ass as s ign gnm ment wasn’t was n’t about abou t teachi teach ing the t he comm commandm and ments ent s no nor r was it teaching about a religion. I just wanted to deliver the message of hope that is found in Jesus Christ and to let them know that it is through Him alone that salvation was readily avail av ailab ablle for fo r them th em.. I remember how my simple approach was criticized harshl harsh ly by b y many many other oth er Chri Chriss tian tian gr g rou oups ps and pas tors. tors . However However,, I took hold of the reins firmly and kept sharing the message o hope ho pe more and an d more. more. Many people flocked to the church to hear the message o hope. We began to be heavily criticized and blamed by other denominations for loudly weeping and wailing while we were in prayer pray er.. They The y argued argu ed that th at there th ere was too to o much uc h no noiis e in a place where people need to be pious and holy. They criticized our
oy ful singing oyf singing and clapp clappiing as we wors wors hiped hiped.. They They wou oulld s ay, ay, “Frankly speaking, the middle class and the educated people don’t need to cry or clap their hands during prayer and worship.” The people who came to our church had no education, money, backgrou ba ckground nd,, or an hon h onorab orablle fami family hi h is tory to ry.. Mos t of o f them th em were were out on a limb, and they were desperate – so desperate, in fact, that they coul cou ldn dn’’t help but go to God God and cry out to Him Him. They They were crying crying jus t to t o live live.. I stressed to them the need to cry out to God in prayer pray er,, and an d I tol to ld them th em that th at in the th e ho hous us e of the th e Father Fath er God od,, they can make themselves at home and let it all out. And that’s exactly what they did. The church turned into a house o mourning. During our times of worship and praise, I told them to clap in their hearts out of joy because their Father God had come to meet them. As a result, people were relieved of their stress and they were overcome with peace in their hearts. Spiritually experiencing their salvation with renewed strengthening of their faith, they also experienced physical healings. God was helping them as they went out to Him in faith aith and with all all they had at their t heir dis dis po poss al. al.
It was then that I learned the most important thing in my ministry. I learned that I need to plant the very hope of God within the hearts and lives of the seekers. So even now, I go wherever they need me in an effort to plant God’s hopes and
dreams. In fact, I’ve made eighty trips around the world, and I’ve visited Africa, the United States, Europe, Australia, and South America. Every time I traveled I was renewed in the conviction that all people desperately desire to hear about hopes and dreams. That’s because we were created in God’s image – in God, where we find all our hopes and dreams. We are blessed people who can dream beautiful and precious dreams.
Theolog Theol ogy y of Hop Hopee
The renowned German theologian, Jurgen Moltmann, calls his theol theo log ogy y “The Theology of o f Hop ope.” e.” When Wh en Moltmann Moltmann was s eventeen even teen years old, old, Worl World War II broke broke out. He was subsequently drafted into the German Army and was dispatched to the trenches on the front lines. Eventually he became a prisoner of war. While being held captive in a British prison, he heard about the bombing of his hometown, Hamburg, and learned that his family members were all killed! Hearing earing this ho horrrendou end ouss news, he h e fell fell into a maj major or depr dep ress es s ion on.. The theologian recalls this period of his life as being the worst, because he had no country and no family, and he had to deal with the neglect and abuse he experienced in the pris pris on on.. On many an y nights nigh ts he even ev en cont co ntem emplate plated d com co mmitti tt ing suicide. In such dire straits, a pastor gave him a Bible to read.
He read about Jesus being crucified on the cross and he thought about how that He, too, was rejected by His people and the world. But in spite of all that, Jesus offered goodness to people around Him and healed people along the way. However, to His dismay, the very people who received His grace stormed against Jesus and compelled Him to go to the cross. Far worse, His disciples, who should have remained close by, were the first ones to take cover when things started getting bad. Jesus died while feeling wretched and miserable, during the loneliest moments of His life. After reading the gospel accounts of Jesus’ death, Moltmann began to feel s trongly that he had h ad a gr g reat deal d eal in com co mmon with Jesus Jes us . He read that after three days, Jesus was resurrected, and that He conquered con quered death and the grave. grave. Moltm Moltmann ann was s hocked hocked by by this account of the story. Reading about the resurrection of Jesus Jes us caus ed him to be b e over ov ercom comee wi with hop h opee that he, too, too , could could experience resurrection if he accepted Jesus into his heart and life. He began to think that the same thing could happen to his country and his hometown as well. It was out of these readings, thoughts, and experiences that Moltmann developed his his Theology of o f Hop ope. e. He He learned learned that th at onl o nly y Jesus Jes us can of o ffer the hope of resurrection in times of darkness and despair. Therefore, he got on his knees in the prison and accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. He realized that in Christ and in Him alon alone, e, the th e dark d arkes estt mom momen ents ts of torm to rment ent and des pai pa ir are are abl ab le to turn into light. He also learned that after the resurrection, there can no long onger er be dark darkness nes s .
Without hopes and dreams in our hearts, no matter how well we may eat, dress, and live, we will die spiritually. On the other hand, with hopes and dreams in our hearts, we shall live, no matter how ho w dif difficult our s ituati tua tion onss migh ghtt be. b e. Hum Humans ans po poss s ess es s a strong desire to live, and hope tends to maximize that passion within us. In I Timothy 1:1 we read, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the th e com co mmandm and ment of God God ou ourr Sav Saviior and the th e Lord Lord Jes us Chris hris t, our hope . . . .” (NKJV). Paul lived with the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. In spite of adversity and hardships, Paul was able to stand firm, because he found hope through Jesus Chris hris t. His His life was was fil filled with s o much much ho hope pe that th at even e ven in pris pris on he wrote letters to other Christians, encouraging them to live in oy. Even during his journey to Rome, when the ship was stranded by the wind and the waves, he boldly proclaimed the mess es s age of o f ho hope pe and an d decl de clared ared God God’’s help help bef b efore ore others. others . Preserve the Dreams of Hope
People usually won’t share their thoughts of selfish greed and the desires of their selfish dreams with other people. But the perf pe rfect ect h op opee that th at is found fou nd in Chris hris t can be s hared ha red with with o thers th ers,, and it becomes contagious as it is shared. When hopes are s hared, they becom b ecomee a stable s table fou found ndati ation on,, whi which ch allows allows roots roo ts to grow and to spread. When people console each other and speak in hope, when they praise and admonish one another, the dream of hope will grow and exert a great influence on
everyone. One’s future is predictable when we look at his or her dreams. Dreams are like a mirror that can give a reflection of us. This is why I proclaim proclaim the th e Five Fiveffold Gos Gos pel pe l and the th e Threef Th reefold old Bles Blesss ing to my congregation. I want to help the people cultivate their dreams through the cross. Also, I want them to treasure the dream that all is well with them and that their bodies and souls are are heal h ealthy thy.. No matte at terr how h ow diffi difficu cullt the th e curr cu rren entt circu circum ms tanc ta nces es o your yo ur li life mi migh ghtt be, b e, if if you po poss s ess es s and mainta aintaiin dreams dreams in yo your ur heart, then the dreams will take control of the third dimension and cause changes to take place within you and all around you. Dreams incubate the third-dimensional realm. No matter how void and chaotic one’s life may be, if it is incubated in dreams dreams , then the n cha c hang nges es wil will take place – from from death dea th to life, chaos ch aos to order, darkness to light, and poverty to abundance. I charge you, yo u, ther the refore, efore, to dr d ream in God God.. Pr Preserve es erve and ho holld fast fas t to t o you y our r dreams. Then you’ll be in for all sorts of awesome changes in your yo ur life. life.
4 Words
Chang Changee the S pi ritua ri tuall Fourth-Di ourth-Di mens i onal onal Realm wi wi thin You You
The Bible says, “Death and life are in the power o the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21, KJV). Words were an important element in God’s work of creation. The plan of creation had been set in place, but God had to speak the words before it could become a visible reality. As such, therefore, God’s words contain creativity. We have been created in His image, and we have benefited greatly from this. Our words carry carry creative creative po pow wer as well ell.
Of course, our o ur words words are are not n ot as perfect perfect as a s God od’’s are, are, but bu t they th ey do cont co ntain ain a certai certa in amou amoun n t of creati creat ive po power wer.. Whe W hen n we speak negatively, negative elements will manifest and grow. But if we become empowered by God and use and speak pos po s itive, creati creat ive and an d produ pro duct ctiive words, words , then th en their th eir po poss itive
creati creat ive p ower wi will natu na tural rallly beco b ecom me man maniifest fes t in our o ur li lives ve s . In order to change our words and our language, we mus t fir firs t und u nder erss tand the impo porrtance tanc e of words words.. Words Words can hurt h urt peop pe oplle as well well as heal he al peop pe oplle. That’ Tha t’ss why it is is imperative pe rative for us to und u nder erss tand the th e im impo porrtance tanc e of words. ords . A single word has the power of life or death. Words are a power po werful ful part pa rt of ou ourr liv es. es . The Script Scriptures ures emph emphas as ize the th e importance of words in various passages. For example, James 3:6 says, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, bo dy, and an d s ets et s on fire fire the th e cou c ours rsee of o f natu na ture; re; and a nd it is s et on fire fire by hel he ll” (NKJV (NKJV). ). James James 3:8 s ays ay s , “But no man can tam ta me the th e tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (NKJV). A sword may kill one person at a time, but words are much sharper and more powerful than a sword; and like an atomic bom bo mb, they th ey can beco be com me a weapon weapo n that th at can wipe wipe ou outt many an y at once. Words Words Com Come Back Lik e a Boo B oom mer eran ang g
Words come back like a boomerang to the person who utters them. Spoken words not only affect one’s neighbors, but they ultimately return to the person who utters them and exert an equal amount of influence on his or her life. This shows how power po werful ful words are. One day Leonardo da Vinci was working on an important
pai pa inti nt in g. Into his s tudio tu dio came came littl tt le chi ch ildren who were were running run ning around, and they caused paint to spill on the floor. He yelled out in anger immediately. The children were so shocked and s cared that th at they th ey left left in in tears t ears.. Da Vinci picked picked up his brus b rush h and an d tried to paint. But for some reason he couldn’t continue pai pa inti nt in g the th e figu figure re on the th e can c anva vass . No No matte at terr how ho w hard he tried tried,, he couldn’t even make his paintbrush budge. After some time had passed, it dawned on him what the problem was. He called for the chil children dren that t hat he h e had s cared cared and an d chas ch ased ed out o ut of the room. room. And very politely he apologized for overreacting earlier. As a result of his apology, the children regained their smiles. After that, th at, Da Da Vi Vinci nc i was able a ble to cont co ntiinu nuee pai pa inti nt ing ng.. Words tend to exer exertt an equal equ al amou amount nt of infl influen uence ce on bo both th thei the ir speakers and their hearers, as well as anyone else who may be spoken about. The Scripture clearly points this out: “In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will pres erve them th em”” (Prov. (Prov. 14:3 4:3, NKJV NKJV). ). We s ee thi th is in anot an othe her r verse from Proverbs as well: “A man will be satisfied with good by the th e fruit fruit of his mou outh th,, and the th e recom reco mp ens en s e of o f a man man’’s hand ha ndss will be rendered to him” (Prov. 12:14, NKJV). Our Words Must Be Captivated by the Holy Spirit and the Word
Since words are powerful, they must be ruled and managed. The best instructor who can show us how to do this is the Holy Spirit. If one reacts sensitively to the leading of the Holy Spirit, then he or she will make fewer mistakes, because he or
she will know what words to say under His guidance. Anytime we are speaking words that uplift and bless people, God is pleas ed with with us and an d our o ur good go od go good od langu an guag agee habits ha bits . If our words can either summon curses or blessings and i we’re going to be called to account before God for all the words we speak, then it is certainly wise for us to speak less. Every human being is prone to making mistakes. James 3:8 s ays , “But “But no man can ca n tam t amee the th e tong to ngue. ue. It It is an un unrruly uly evi e vill, ful fulll of deadly poison” (NKJV). Therefore, it is clear that the wise thing to do is to refrain from speaking, for speaking less will lead to a more more peaceful pe aceful and product prod uctiive life. Being able to obtain and use powerful words requires the help of the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit, t, the th e Script Scriptures ures,, and prayer praye r. The words of God God are from the fourth-dimensional realm. Words spoken with the help of the Holy Spirit are always creative, productive, and power po werful ful,, and a nd they, th ey, li likewis ewis e, wil will beco be com me mani an ifest fes t in the th e thi th irddimensional realm. That’s why I want you to learn to use the spiritual language of the fourth-dimensional realm that I’m about to disclose here. If you are already using these heavenly words, I know you are already experiencing abundant bless bles s ing ngss in you y ourr life.
1. Declare Declare Words Wo rds of Hope Aloud! Al oud!
Unleash positive, can-do thinking through your words. Also, meditate on and memorize Scripture verses and
proclai pro claim m them th em as if they th ey were wri writt tten en for your yo ur person pers onal al life. People often speak vain words and expressions or hear them bei be ing s po poken ken by othe ot hers rs.. Thes The s e vai va in words and an d exp exp ress res s ion onss may take the form of the following: “I can’t carry on any longer”; “It’s too difficult for me to live this life”; or “I just can’t get back on my feet anymore.” Now, I don’t deny the difficult reality we all live in. And it’s not hard to understand why such expressions are made during difficult times. It appears as if most people are suffering with a self-inflicted “can’t-do” illness, and they bind themselves up with their negative words. Therefore, these people can’t accomplish much uc h with with their th eir lives ve s . We migh ghtt eas ily thi th ink, “What’s “Wh at’s the t he bi b ig deal d eal about abo ut s aying som s omee useless, trivial words? They couldn’t be all that bad, could they?” However, nothing could be farther from the truth. A single word that is uttered from a person’s mouth has the gi ve li power po wer to either eithe r destroy life life or o r give life to s om omeon eone. e. In this context, people who suffer from the “can’t-do illness” can never experience creativity in their lives. God does not use peop pe oplle who s uffer from from this t his illn ess es s . As on onee s peaks pe aks and an d ho hollds fast to the “can’t-do illness” and complains and resents God becau be causs e of n egat eg atiiv e circu circum ms tan ta n ces , he or s he may neve ne verr be able able to craw crawll ou outt of the pi p it. As a resul resu lt, he or she s he can no lon onger ger experience the renewing of life during his or her remaining days.
Therefore, it’s imperative not to speak negative words like “can’t do.” do .” Don Don’’t we have ou ourr heavenl heaven ly Father Fathe r who who created created all all things in the th e uni un iverse vers e on our o ur side? Don Don’’t we we have hav e Hi His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who cleared up all our sins by conquering sin, illness, and all curses on the cross? Don’t we have our wonderful Helper, the Holy Spirit? Then why should it be so difficult to stop speaking negative words? Why do people, even believers, continue to spit out negative words that reflect an inability to overcome sufferings and hardships? Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who bel be lieves ev es ” (Mark 9:2 9:23, NKJV NKJV). ). With With His His prom pro mis e in mind nd,, we mus t speak s peak posi pos itive tive “can“can -do do”” words words on a dai d ailly bas is . Many people have said to me, “Pastor Cho, how is it that you can lead a positive-spirited ministry? What is your secret to move the world?” I answer their queries by explaining about the worki orking ngss of God God through throug h creati creative ve declarati declaration onss . In Sp S pite of it All, All , Make Make Positi Pos itiv ve Declara Decl arations tions
At the time when Pastor Jasil Choi and I first planted the church, Korea was in an extremely poor condition. Having three meals a day was an infrequent experience for most of us. Rice was s carce, and havi hav ing po potato tatoes es with ou ourr meal mealss was a true bless bles s ing ng..
The number of persons in the church multiplied week after week, and the miraculous healings continued. However, our
life-style didn’t change much. Eventually we were able to get enough money together that enabled us to get settled into a tiny tiny place place on o n a hil hilltop. top . It It was a two-roo two-room m cubby cub byho holle, so s o I took onee of on o f the rooms rooms whil while Choi’s Choi’s fami family took to ok the th e oth o ther. er. Even though we had a place to stay, our worries about daily meals didn’t go away. No one was able to offer us any help, not even the missions group at the church, which was in charge of outreach to the needy in the local area. On certain nights, we had only sweet potatoes for supper. We would split these sweet potatoes among the five of us and would fill up our stomachs with tap water. On such nights, no one said much. We just went to bed and tried to go to sleep. Our lay lay minister nist er,, Cho Choii, was was ou ourr anchor anch or,, and s he would pray late into the night in her room, then leave for church early in the morning orning s o s he could co uld pray in in tong to ngues ues and bes eech God God.. You can only survive on sweet potatoes for so long, and trying to do so was becoming almost unbearable. Nonetheless, we had to stave off the continual hunger that we experienced every day. One morning, I became overwhelmed with what I like to describe as explosive faith in my heart. I felt it was the Holy Spirit, and I believed He wanted to use me as a mouthpiece for proclai pro claim ming His His mess es s age. ag e. I s too to o d in fron frontt of o f a mi mirror rror.. Wi With bo both th of my fists clenched, I began to shout, as I stared fiercely at myself.
“Yon “Yongg ggii Cho ho,, yo you u are not no t poor! po or!””
“Yon “Yongg ggii Cho ho,, you yo u are wealthy wealthy!” !”
“Our church shall reach 1,000 members by next year!”
“Yon “Yongg ggii Cho ho,, you s uffered uffered from from tubercu tu bercullos is in the t he pas pa s t, but bu t loo look k at you y ou no now; w; you yo u are healthy he althy!” !”
“Yon “Yongg ggii Cho ho,, you have ha ve the t he faith faith to mov ovee a mou ounta ntaiin. Whoev Wh oever er believes believes can achi ach ieve anyth an ythiing ng!!” As I uttered these faith-filled declarations, I sensed I wasn’t alone. When I opened the door, I found lay minister Choi standing there. I couldn’t look her in the eye, because I felt pitiful, pitiful, emba embarr rras as s ed, ed , and an d awkwar awkward. d. Even ve n s o, I kept us ing pos po s itive words that th at helped h elped me me to enco en courag uragee mys mys elf and an d kept on on repeati epeat ing them the m ov over er and over o ver again. again. As I mai maint ntai aine ned d tha t hatt s piri pirit, God God s tarted mov oviing in my life and subsequently I was able to plant the world’s largest church with the help of God and His blessings. However, if I had just dwelt on the negative developments of life and the
church in those days, I would have remained a failure forever, always saying and repeating words like, “I can’t do it”; “It can’t can’t be done”; do ne”; and “It’ “It’ss not pos p osss ible. ble.”” Anymore, before I go to bed, I proclaim, “I can do it. I’m a bless bles s ed man in Chris hris t Jes us . I’m s u cces cce s s ful.” ful.” W h en I wake wake up in the th e morni morning ng,, I cry cry out, o ut, “I can be s ucces s ful becaus becau s e God God has empowered me.” Of course, I say this in full faith that God will pour po ur ou outt His His po power wer throu th rough gh my po poss itive and an d creati creat ive declarati declaration onss , and He wil will use us e me me to t o do great thi th ing ngss . It’s time for you to change your words. Remove these words and negative declarations from your vocabulary: “I just can’t do this – I just can’t!” and get rid of all negative words. Instead, fill your mouth with positive words by saying, “I can do it. No matter what anyone says, I can get back on my feet again.” In this way, you can break free from all restraints and change your life for the better by filling your life with positive, produ pro duct ctiiv e, and an d creati creat ive words. words . As yo you u mov ovee forward forward in God od,, He wi will po pour ur out His His po pow wer and bless ing ngss and enabl enab le you yo u to do miraculous things; the dire circumstances of your life will turn into nt o a new n ew envi env ironmen ronment, t, one on e that t hat is full full of fulf fulfiilled promi promis es. es . As a result, your life will change drastically and your nation and fell fellow-citiz ow-citizen enss wil will s tart ta rt to chan ch ang g e as well well.
2. Re 2. Rele lease ase Your Your Fait Fa ith h Through Words Wo rds..
Words are essential tools that are needed to engage
in spiritual warfare and to overcome all dire circumstances. So release your faith through words. Claim and reclaim God’s prom pro mis es ov over er and an d ov over er again ag ain with with yo your ur mou outh th.. In s o do doiing ng,, you yo u s hall experi experience ence awes awesom omee chang ch anges es.. Reverend Stanley Jones is well known for his missionary work in India and also for his positive beliefs. He was a writer, missionary, and messenger of the gospel. He had lived a healthy life with a positive outlook and mind-set, but when he approached the age of 89, a stroke set him back. He was bedri be dridd dden en for a lon ong g time time and an d was un unab ablle to s peak. pe ak. He as ked his nurse for a favor: “Please claim in words, ‘In the name o Jesus, you shall walk,’ night and day.” Since he was completely paralyzed, he asked the nurse to do this in his beha be hallf. From From then th en on on,, his nu nurs rses es alway alwayss proclai pro claim med thos th os e words, ords , and Reverend Jones Jon es alw always respo es pond nded, ed, “Amen!” “Amen!” People who knew about this would laugh at him. But Reverend Jones was someone who knew about the power that exists in words. Before he was fully healed, he made a trip to an area in the Himalayas for some rest. While he was there, he asked the nurses to proclaim those same positive words in his behalf. After som s omee time time pas pa s s ed, ed , thi th is eigh eighty ty-ni -nine-ye ne-yearar-old old man man who had h ad been be en s uffering uffering from from a stroke s troke was com co mpletel plete ly healed! h ealed! The po p o wer for healing came from the words that were proclaimed by mouth. In other words, he released his faith through words, and he changed his third-dimensional circumstances with a fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s io nal na l elemen element: t: words.
Miracles are possible when we use our words to proclaim that God will respo es pond nd to ou ourr dream dreamss and ou ourr fai faith. th. And An d as a s we s hare that faith with others, those very words become the light that eradicates darkness, that bring life out of death, and that cause s om ometh ethiing to exi exis t out o ut of noth no thiing ng.. How How im impo portant rtant it is to t o dream d ream,, to pray in faith, and to proclaim your dreams and faith by the words of your mouth! When we proclaim our faith through the words we utter, we release our faith, which is the power that will bring bring about abo ut awes awesom omee and an d creati creative ve changes chan ges . Confess Your Faith with Your Mouth
We must confess our salvation with our mouths. Romans 10:910 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (NKJV). No mat matte terr ho how w much uc h faith we have ha ve in Jes Je s us , i we keep it in our hearts and do not confess it with our mouths, we can’t can ’t rece receiive His His s alvati alvat io n. You You mu s t s ay, “I believ believee in in Jesus as my Lord and Savior.” This is because the words we speak provide the creative context in which God’s workings beco be com me man maniifest. fes t. Matthew 10:32~33 says, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men men,, him I wi will als als o confes co nfesss before My M y Father Fathe r who who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (NKJV). Confessing and denying are both done with the mouth. We must come to
know and acknowledge that the power of life or death resides in our tongues .
This is a good place to share the personal testimony o one member of my congregation. Her name is Ms. Jung Yoos un un,, and she s he s uffered uffered a phys phy s ical collaps collaps e a few years back. She thought she had been suffering from a common cold, but what it turned out to be was something far more serious. One day she fainted after her heartbeat became irregular. Then she fell into nt o a coma. coma. When she regained her consciousness after nine days, she awoke to learn that she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in her lymphatic glands. She was devastated by this news. From that point on, she cried out to God and asked Him to spare her life. She prayed, “If you spare my life, I’ll live the rest of my life for you.” She began chemotherapy, but her condition worsened and the doctor called in her family to prepare prep are for her he r funeral fun eral.. In In s pite of o f thi th is , Ms.Jun Ms .Jung g nev n ever er gave gav e up. u p. She was wasn’t n’t about abo ut to let go g o of o f her fai faith th in God God.. She bought tapes of sermons and kept listening to them in the hospital room. She was inspired by one sermon in parti pa rticu cullar, ar, which proclai pro claim med the th e foll follo wing wing mes s age: ag e: “Whe “W here re is your yo ur sting, s ting, O death dea th?? You You can’t can ’t wi win, O death dea th!” !” She She too t ook k ho holld of o f that saying and felt as if those words were penetrating deep into her heart. From then on, she kept confessing the same words, and as s he did so, so , she kept on confronting confronting and fighting
death. She would repeat these words over and over again: “Where is your sting, O death? Death, you can’t win! I’m healed by Jesus. His precious blood has cleansed me! Depart fro fro m me, O dea d eath th!” !” Every time she would receive an injection from the nurses, she would proclaim by mouth, “Jesus was beaten so that I would be healed! I am healed!” A few days later she attended a grand gathering at the church and received the laying aying on of o f hands han ds and my prayers. prayers . She later later shar sh ared ed that th at at that th at moment she felt something moving through her body; it was the healing work of the Holy Spirit. She then returned to the hospital for a checkup. To everyone’s surprise, there was no cancer found in her body! Even the doctors called it a miracle. Eventua ven tuallly, through throug h thi th is incident, her unbel unb eliieving hus hu s band ban d and an d her he r in-law in-lawss came came to t o know kno w the Lord Lord..
The power of one’s confession by mouth is amazing. This This is what s ets apart believers believers from no nonb nbel eliievers and enabl enab les bel be lievers ev ers to con co n fro fro nt deat de ath. h. Nonbe Non bellievers ev ers h ave av e no weapon weap onss with which to fight death. But we have a powerful weapon at our disposal –the Word of God! The Word is the sword of the Spirit. Once we accept God’s will and God’s Word into our hearts and confess them by our mouths in faith, we shall gain the vi v ictor cto ry. Command in Faith
During a time of long and serious prayer, one may feel a conviction in his or her heart that his or her prayers have already been answered. When this happens, you must claim it as if the th e inv inviis ible has becom be comee visi vis ible. For example, you might pray, “Father God, I want to thank you in advance for healing me. I’m completely healed. You’ve already cleansed me from my illness. My nonbelieving family has alr already received eceived thei the ir salvation salvation,, so reach out o ut to them.” them.” After that, tha t, there is is s om omething ething els els e that mus t be don d one. e. Once you y ou feel that th at firm firm belief belief and convicti con viction on in yo your ur heart h eart and an d feel certain certain that you can claim the invisible as visible, then it is time to command the “mountain” that looms in front of you and tell it what ha t it mus mus t do: d o: “Be “Be gon g one, e, O great big mou mount ntai ain!” n!” “Be “Be gon g one, e, O il illnes s !” “Be “Be go g o ne, ne , O un unb b elief! elief!”” “Be “Be gone, go ne, O curse!” cu rse!” “Be “Be gon g one, e, O poverty!” The time to witness the miracle is when you make the command. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He then commanded, “Let there be a firmament,” and a firmament appeared. He said, “Let the waters under the
heavens be gathered together into one place,” and dry land appeared. He then said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit accordi acco rding ng to its kind nd,” ,” and it was s o. (See (See Gen Gen.. 1.) 1.) Jesus always performed the miracles when He commanded them. For example, He said, “You have been forgiven”; “Now, pick up yo you u r mat and a nd g o”; o” ; “Depart, “Dep art, O evi ev il s pirit” pirit”;; and an d “Laz “Lazarus arus , come out.” Each time when He issued a command, a miracle followed immediately. Commands always precede the creative workings of God; these things don’t happen through begging on bended knees or cri cries of des peration peration.. So, So, once on ce you y ou beli believe and can proclai proclaim m the inv nviis ible ble as being being vis vis ible, then s ho hout ut ou outt you y ourr comm commands and s : “Depart “Dep art from me, O ill illn n es s !” “My family shall return to the Lord in hurry!” “App “A ppear, ear, O job ob!” !” “Draw “Draw near, O bless bles s ing ngss !” There might be differences from person to person with regard to the t he time time that pass pas s es between between s om omethi ething ng that is bel b eliieved and its visible manifestation, but someone who disregards the time factor and transcends time by believing in his or her heart and making confession by word of mouth, shall then receive that which hich he or she s eeks eeks .
We must remember that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare every day and every moment. First Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be sober, be vi v igilan gilant; t; beca b ecaus us e your yo ur adve ad vers rsary ary the th e devil de vil walk walks abou ab outt li like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experi experien enced ced by yo your ur broth b rotherhoo erhood d in the th e world” world” (NK (NKJV JV). ). Yes, es , the devi dev il is alw always roami oaming arou around nd and s eeki eeking to devou dev our r us with ever ev ery y means means and method that he has h as at his his dis dis pos al. al. So So we must be very careful not to fall into his traps. We have our Lord Jesus Jes us Chris hris t by b y our o ur si s ide, and He pai pa id the t he dear d ear pri price of si s in with His innocent bloodshed. There are no reasons to give up or step down. From now on, let’s proclaim the words of our Lord and conf con fess es s them the m with ou ourr mou mouths ths and be vi v ictoriou ctoriouss in all spiritual battles.
2 . Sp S peak Creative Creative and S ucce uccess s ful Words Words
Words can either kill or bring someone to life. Let us strive to say only words of inspiration, the creative words that s um umm mon s uccess ucces s and joy. joy. Even when we utter a single word, we must make sure it is a creative word that offers inspiration, joy, and success. Words have hav e the power p ower to br b ring into exi exis tence what they th ey s ay. An inspirational speaker, trainer, and teacher of passionate living and the positive mind-set, Dr. Zig Ziglar, was in New
York City and an d was abou ab outt to get on o n the th e sub s ubw way when he h e saw s aw a begg be ggar ar who was s elli ellin g penc pe nciils for a do dolllar api ap iece. ece . Dr. Dr. Ziglar Ziglar had s ym ympath pathy y for the beggar beg gar,, so s o he h e pul pu lled ou outt a do dolllar bil bill and dropped dropp ed it it in in hi h is bo box x, unconcerned uncon cerned about abo ut getting g etting the th e penci pen cill the man was offering. As he walked away, however, he decided to turn aroun around d and go back b ack to the th e beggar. He said, “I want my pencil for the dollar I dropped into the box bo x.” The beggar gave him a pencil. As he received his pencil, Dr. Ziglar said, “You are a businessman like me. You are no longer a beggar. beg gar.”” As a result of hearing those words, the beggar’s life turned around completely. Dr. Ziglar had called him a businessman, nott a begg no b eggar ar.. He He was a bus bu s ines s man who was trying trying to make ake a living by selling pencils. That man eventually went on to beco be com me a s ucces uc ces s ful bu buss ines ne s s man. an . He was abl ab le to do s o becau be causs e his s elf-po elf-portrai rtraitt h ad com co mpletel plete ly chan ch ange ged. d. He was deeply encouraged by hearing the word “businessman” ass as s ociated with with hims hims elf. elf. On his way home, he began to mutter these words, “I’m not a beggar. I’m a businessman – a businessman who sells pencils.” His dreams dreams , his his s elf elf-po porrtrait trait and an d his his faith aith had changed chan ged,, and, as a result, this man became a successful businessman. Some time
later, he went to see Dr. Ziglar. He said, “Your words changed my life completely. Most people just drop a dollar bill in my bas ba s ket and an d walk walk away. They’re The y’re comp comp letely et ely ind indiifferen fferentt abou ab outt the th e penc pe nciils , s o I tho t houg ugh h t that th at that th at was all there the re was to it. I al a lways thought of myself as a beggar, but that day when you came to me, you called me ‘a businessman’ just like you. Those words chan ch ange ged d my my life life forev forever.” er.”
Words that come out of our mouths can change another pers pe rson on’’s life com co mpletel plete ly. Wha W hat’ t’ss even ev en more interes nt eresting ting is that th at words can aff affect even the water we we dr d rink. A Japanes e expert expert on wave and motion, Emodo Masaro, wrote a book entitled, Water Contains the Answer , in which he shows how water reacts to love. Masar Mas aro o argues that if if hum humans ans s peak contemptuo contemptuous us words to a glass of drinking water, the shapes of the crystals in the water molecules will break apart, leaving ugly shapes in place of the former ones. If someone wrote the word evil on on the crystals o water molecules, an ugly hole would be formed. He also observed that if we thank the water that we’re about to drink, then the crystals of the water molecules become six-sided. Furthermore, if we say, “I love you,” the crystals take on very beau be autif tiful ul s hape ha pess . That’ Tha t’ss becau be causs e the th e mes s age ag e of lov ovee is communicated through some unknown frequency and s om omeho ehow w it it is able a ble to aff a ffect ect even eve n water molecules molecules.. Therefore, even water gains vitality when it is loved. What’s
interesting about this is that the human body is composed o sixty percent water. So when we express contempt, anger, and cursing to others, the crystals of water molecules inside their bodies bo dies and an d ou ours rs,, as well well, wil will get ge t s eriou eriouss ly disto dis torted rted,, and an d ultimately this will lead to diseases and illnesses. If we share love and encouragement instead, the water molecules will react accordi acco rding nglly and a nd becom bec omee s ix-sided crystall crys talliine figu figurres, es , providing providing us with with vitali vitality and an d a heal hea lthy th y life. life. This tells us that speaking out of love is closely related to our life and our health, and such loving words can even improve the quality of our lives and health. Therefore, let’s be sure to us e words words that th at of o ffer life. A righteous person should always think deeply about the words that should be used and when and where to use them. He or she should also speak only words of wisdom and love, words that offer life to others. The tongue of a righteous pers pe rson on is as val va luable ua ble as s ilv er of the th e hi h igh ghes es t qua q uallity becau be causs e it has no impurities. And the listeners to the words of such a righteous person will be led to the path of life. Remember, our words alw always yiel yield d resul res ults ts..
3. Always Speak Words that are Filtered by Heavenly Languag La nguage! e!
Words that contain love and blessings can change peop pe oplle and an d turn tu rn any an y place in to a b les s ed envir en viron onm ment. en t. If you y ou
speak words out of love, which is the heavenly language, then the th e Holy Spiri Spirit wil will perf pe rform orm miracles racles throu th rough gh y ou ourr tongu ton gue. e. The ki kind of lang languag uagee teenagers teen agers us usee thes th esee days day s may s eem like a foreign language to many of us. In South Korea, for example, teenagers have coined new words and codes from existing words, and they use them like a new language. These adapt ada ptations ations and an d variations variations make it it diffi difficu cullt for som s omeon eonee lik like me me to compre comprehend hend what they’r t hey’ree s aying aying to each other. ot her. What’ Wh at’ss even worse is the language and signs that are used in on-line chat rooms and during text messaging. Most of these systems o communication use codes, acronyms, and abbreviations that I don’t understand. It’s not difficult for young people to understand these things though, because it’s a language of thei th eirr own. Words Words of Love ove and and Bles Bl es s ings ing s
Like the secret language teenagers use, citizens of Heaven have an exclusive language of their own as well. And we must use it because it marks our true identity; it’s a sign that confirms our changed identity. The words of our language may well be incomprehensible to nonbelievers. But those who bel be lieve ev e in Jesus Jes us Chris hris t un und d ersta ers tand nd them th em.. As lon ong g as we claim claim to be b e people peo ple of faith, aith, we mus mus t know how to s peak the heaven h eavenlly tongue. That’s because by speaking and using our heavenly language, we are able to live according to heavenly means. Becaus e our tongues tong ues rule ule over ove r ou ourr bo bodi dies es,, ou ourr bo bodi dies es and lives lives will chang cha ngee accordi acco rding ng to what ha t we spe s peak ak..
Words that contain love and blessings really do change peop pe oplle, and an d they th ey make the th e envir en viron onm ment en t more bless bles s ed. ed . Therefore, we should never speak words that reflect dissatisfaction nor utter complaints or profanity, no matter what the circumstances are. During difficult times, we should use our heavenly language, the words of blessing and love, becau be causs e when we do do,, we allow allow the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit to make us e o our tongues . The words that come out of our mouths create and form our lives. This is like a silkworm using its silk to make a cocoon for its elf. elf. The utte u ttered red proclamations proclamations from from ou ourr mou outh thss s tructure truct ure and create the environment in which we live. That’s why we must take take cauti cau tion on when we s peak. When Wh en the Holy Spir Spirit com co mes up upon on us, we become empowered by Him and thus we speak in tongues. This is a surprise to people sometimes, because speaking in tongues comes from the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must become Christians who speak in heavenly tongu ton gues es that are gu guiided by b y the th e Hol Holy y Spir Spirit. Words Words of Gratitud Gratitude, e, Words Words that that Confes Confesss Our Fai Fai th
If we live our lives in constant bickering and lamenting, our lives will self-destruct. The Scripture says, “ He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away’” (Luke ( Luke 19:26, NIV). If we confess con fess with
our mouths that what we desire doesn’t exist, God will take away even what does exist. But if we think about what we have
and give thanks to God, He will bless us with even better things. Psal Psa lm 22:3 says say s , “But “But You are hol ho ly, enthron ent hroned ed in the t he prais prais es of Israel” (NKJV). Once God is enthroned, then all hardships will vanish, and only the victory will remain. That’s why the Scripture tells us to always give thanks. God inhabits our praises prais es.. One important point about the power of the words we utter is the fact that those very words can become actual realities in our lives. Therefore, claim your dreams boldly. Look to the cross and boldly welcome the dreams of the gospel and a life that is full of blessings. Declare your confessions of faith in pos po s itive ways . The foll following owing are s om omee affi affirm rmat atiio ns and an d decl dec laration arationss that th at yo you u wil will want an t to t o make make often: “I was declared righteous when I received the forgiveness o Jesus.”
“Because of Jesus, the devil will depart from me, and Heaven and an d the t he Holy Holy Spi Sp irit rit wil will take ta ke his place.” place .”
“By God’s mercy and grace, the illness of my heart is healed, and my phy p hyss ical il illnes s es have hav e been be en remov removed ed from from me.” We must always believe that our lives, through the blessings of God’s salvation and the message of the gospel, will always
be renewed, renewed , as we live and an d rest res t near ne ar the th e green pas pa s ture tu re and an d waterside God has provided for us (see Ps. 23.); and that once we change this faith into reality, we’ll be able to live lives that are are fil filled with abund abu ndant ant bles blesss ing ngss . Proclaim your faith in words, and take action. We’ll gain s trength on once ce we we reali realize that tha t Jesus Jes us Chris hris t has ha s alr already taken our yok yo ke upon up on him hims elf elf, and He has prayed for us. us . He He has provided righteousness and goodness for us through the promises He made by His blood on the cross. To overcome our circumstances, we must claim His promises and speak them forth. The sufferings and trials we go through in life are God’s way of preparing us to be vessels that contain His bless bles s ing ngss . The s uffering ufferingss we may be go goiing throu th rough gh no now w wil will s om omeday eday becom beco me rewar ewards ds .
Words are are the clos closes estt thi th ing – our o ur connection connection – to the reali reality of God’s fourth-dimensional realm. Words, more than any other elemen element, t, reflect reflect thi th is reali reality. Through Throu gh the th e words we utte ut terr, we we wil will be abl ab le to get ge t a glim glimps e into nt o God od’’s fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al realm realm and receive His His faith faith and an d His His dreams dreams . That’s That’s why I’ve I’ve reserved res erved the discussion of words to be the last of all the fourthdimen dimenss ion onal al element elementss . Prov Prover erbs bs 6:2 s ays , “You are are snared s nared by the words of your you r mou outh th;; you y ou are taken by the th e words words of your yo ur mou mouth th”” (NK (NKJV JV). ).
We shall be held accountable before God for every word we’ve ever spoken. Therefore, every single word you utter utt er counts coun ts for eternity. eternity. Jesus Jes us s aid, aid, “For David David hims hims elf elf sai sa id by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’ “Therefore Lord ’; David himself calls Him ‘ Lord ’; how is He then his Son?” And the th e com co mmo n p eop eo p le h eard ea rd Him Him g ladly” (Mark 12: 12:36 36-3 -37, 7, NKJV NKJV). ). God will us e words as a ruler ruler of meas meas uremen urementt for sep s eparati arating ng the th e righteous from the unrighteous on Judgment Day. God knows everything we have ever said, and He will remember all that we’ve e’ve ever ev er utter utt ered ed from from ou ourr mou ouths ths and the tho t houg ughts hts that were ere in our hearts and minds as well. Therefore, we must plant ourselves on the foundation of the Scriptures and use the words of the Bi Bible as the fou ound ndati ation on for our own words words.. When we use creative words that are based on faith, we will experi experien ence ce am a mazi azing chang ch anges es in ou ourr li lives ve s .
Epilogue Meet God in Your Spiritual Training, as You Train Yourself in Fourth-D ourth-Dimens imensiona ionall S pirituality ir ituality
The Bi Bible ble s ays , “For “For we we do no nott wres wrestl tlee agai ag ains nstt fles flesh h and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts o wickedn wickednes esss in th t h e heav h eaven enlly pl p laces ace s ” (Eph (Eph.. 6: 6:12, NKJV NKJV). ).
So far, far, we we hav h avee exam examiined ne d fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s ion onal al spiri s piritu tuali ality ty and an d its four elements—thinking, faith, dreams, and words—the components that rule our third-dimensional lives. How is your fourth-d fou rth-diimens en s io nal na l s piri piritual tu al realm realm righ rightt now? n ow? Were you encouraged to apply the spiritual changes I’ve outlined in this book to your own life? Or do you find it too dif difficult cult to take take on thes e chall challenges even thoug th ough h you yo u can now understand these concepts? Perhaps you are thinking, I’m happy with the way I am now; it’s not necessary for me to change anything. The world is changing quite rapidly, however, and the truth of the matter is that your life is constantly and continually being challenged from every dir direction ection.. You may no nott want to be bo bothered thered by thes e elements elements
of change, but you need to be aware that Satan and his princ princiip alities alities are cont co ntiinu nuall ally y un unlleas hing their th eir atta at tacks cks and an d the th e forces of o f evil are are oppo op poss ing you y ou even no now w. Whenever Wh enever a pers pers on is going going through t hrough s trugg trugglles and tr t rials als , he or s he is likely ely to t o as a s k, “Why “Wh y am I suff su fferi ering ng like thi th is ?” That Th at perso p erson n might say, “I don’t see others suffering the way I am, so why me? Why is my life filled with these problems?” Such challenging moments in life prompt us to react and come up with means and measures to confront them. God has ways and means ean s to help you y ou if you yo u wil will avai av aill yourse you rsellf of them the m. A few years back, when I was ministering at a major spiritual gather gath eriing in the Phil Philipp ppiines , I was inv nviited to vis vis it the t he presi pres ident den t of the th e Phili Philipp ppiines . During uring ou ourr chat, the pr p resi es ident den t s aid, aid, “Pastor “Pasto r Cho Cho,, we we have hav e a bi b ig problem pro blem.. With With the th e mas s ive influx nflux of weste wes tern rn influe nfluenc ncee into nt o ou our r country, our younger generation is becoming morally corrupt. Whatev Wh atever er the gov g overnm ernment ent tr t ries to do d o is is do done ne in in vai v ain. n. Pr Presently, es ently, we’ve created some temporary measures, such as promoting sports-related activities to lead them to become sounder in their mind ndss and bo bodi dies es.” .” I respo es pond nded, ed, “Spo “Sporrts migh ghtt train train thei th eirr ph phys ys ical bo bodi dies es,, but they t hey cannot cann ot chan c hange ge their t heir hearts completel completely y. The The onl o nly y thing t hing that th at can change them within is the power of the blood of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. For young Filipinos to become morally sound, they must arm
themselves with faith in Jesus and become anointed by the Holy Spiri Spirit. So, Mr. Mr. Pres Presiident, den t, you y ou mus t s tart a s piri piritual tu al rev reviival movement.” Getting rid of the spider webs in the house isn’t going to do remove the infestation; unless one gets to the root of the problem pro blem,, the th e ho hous us e wil will cont co ntiinu nuee to have ha ve s pider pide r webs and an d spiders. Likewise, no matter how hard a society may try to deal with crime and its perpetrators by writing more laws or establishing more stringent policies, unless there are fundam fund ament ental al changes chan ges with withiin the t he hearts hea rts of peop pe oplle, it it wil will all all be in vain. The approach to the problem has to be different; it must be a s piri piritual tu al app ap p roach. roach . Peopl Peop le’s e’s hearts he arts do don’t n’t mo ve un unlless es s they’re th ey’re ins ins pired pired.. So So the t he crux c rux of the th e matt matter er is is to kno now w wha whatt to t o do do with the th e hum hu man heart. h eart.
Confront Your Spirituality!
Problems
with
Fourth-Dimensional
People who possess spiritual discernment deal with their problem pro blemss differ differen ently tly than th an othe ot herr peop pe oplle do do.. Take a lo ok at the th e story of Joseph being sold to Egypt by his older brothers, for example. Examining Joseph’s life and circumstances after he was sold into slavery from a third-dimensional perspective would reveal that his life was in a state of complete chaos – a mos t unf un fortunate, ortunat e, sad, sad , and hor ho rrible set of cir circums cums tances tan ces.. But how h ow did did Jos eph s ee his s ituati tua tion on,, and how ho w did did he h e deal wi with
his circumstances? Had he approached his situation from a thi th ird-dim rd-dimens ens ion onal al persp pe rspect ectiive, ve , he woul wou ld have h ave been bee n fil filled with with a burni bu rning ng pas pa s s ion for reveng reve nge. e. But Jos eph ep h po poss s es s ed the th e spiritual discernment he needed to deal with his problems and circumstances in a different way. He looked at things from the fourth-dimensional point of view, and this enabled him to see that what was taking place in his life was the work of God, which hich was taki taking place place to bles blesss and s ave his his life. Likewise, if we deal with problems that are incurred from the third-dimensional realm with a third-dimensional approach, then our situations will get worse and we will see no resolutions for our problems. If we rely only on the knowledge we gai g ain n from ou ourr phys phy s ical sens sen s es in the t he thi th ird-dim rd-dimens ens ion onal al realm realm of our Christian walk, then we are bound to have continuing problem pro blemss . If we appro ap proach ach ou ourr problem pro blemss by tapp ta ppiing into nt o ou our r fleshly passions, insights, boasting, reason, experience, and the knowledge we’ve gained from the third-dimensional realm, we will be starting off on the wrong foot, and we will be s eri erious ly defeated defeated by b y the dar d ark kness nes s of this this age and an d its ruler ulerss . . To gain knowledge of the fourth-dimensional realm, we must tap into the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We will fall prey to the perils of life and be devoured by Satan if we rely on ourselves and our human ways to deal with life’s problem pro blemss . That’ Tha t’ss becau be causs e this t his world world is in the th e thir t hird-d d-diimens en s ion onal al realm, and to be victorious in this realm, we must rely on the tools and offensive weapons of the fourth-dimensional realm. Basically, our approach to dealing with the problems of life
should be different from the world’s way of dealing with problem pro blemss . How we decide de cide to un unde ders rsta tand nd and an d d eal with with the th e issues of life and the problems that originate from the thirddimensional realm will affect how we look at life in the thirddimensional realm. The answer lies in changing our fourthdimensional realm. Once that spiritual part of us has been chang cha nged, ed, we wil will be abl ab le to t o cont co ntrol rol life in in the th e thir t hird-dim d-dimens ens ion onal al realm. Therefore, as you can see, fourth-dimensional spirituality is a bless bles s ing from from God God.. We mus t chan ch ange ge the th e four fou r elemen elements ts of the th e fourth-dimensional realm – our thinking, faith, dreaming, and words – so that our third-dimensional realm will become a life full ull of bless ing ngss . on-believers, too, can achieve their goals in the thirddimensional realm by working hard and possessing positive thinking and using words of belief. These fourth-dimensional elements are universal laws of nature. However, powerful changes and miracles can only occur when we employ God’s ways through prayer, meditation on the Word, and the help of the th e Holy Holy Spiri Spirit as bo bornrn-ag agai ain n bel b eliievers. ev ers. Throughout this book we’ve looked at the specifics of change and how spiritual principles are to be applied. I trust that you’ve begun to put some of these principles to work in your own life life as yo you’ve u’ve been bee n reading reading.. But But let me remi remind yo you u that th at it’s t’s more important to be persistent in your practice of these princ princiip les and an d not n ot be finis finishe hed d with with them th em after one on e or two tri t ries es . I
hope and pray that fourth-dimensional spirituality will occupy the center stage in your life. I hope and pray that these truths and principles will become your very own spiritual habits. O course, that’s that’s easi eas ier s aid aid than th an done, d one, but don don’’t give up, and be be s ure to keep on chal cha llenging en ging you y ourrs elf. elf. You will be able to, to , as the th e Holy oly Spir Spirit leads leads yo you u and an d hel h elps ps yo you. u. Changing One’s S piritual ir itual Warfare Warfare
Fourth-Dimensional
Realm
Involves
Humans are weak and timid beings. Human strength alone can’t change the terrain that leads to the fourth-dimensional realm. Even if you desperately try to think positively, for instance, you can easily get fooled by your own feelings and emotions. To maintain positive emotions for a prolonged peri pe riod od of time time is no nott an eas y tas ta s k. A ls o, there th ere are exte external rnal factors that th at happ h appen en in ou ourr worl world d and we can’ can ’t ignore them th em.. No No matter how ho w hard hard we try to change, chan ge, due du e to tempta temptati tion onss from the world and Satan’s persistent attacks, it is likely that we might give up or fail completely. This is because changing the fourthdimensional realm always affects the spiritual realm around us, and the dar d ark kness nes s of this this age and s pir piritual hosts hos ts of wi wickednes ckednes s will try to thwart our efforts. Be assured that this is truly a matte at terr of s p iritu ritual al warfare. warfare. Paul writes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, bloo d, bu butt agains ag ainstt p rinc rinciipal pa lities, ties , agains ag ainstt po power werss , agains ag ainstt the th e rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts o wickedn wickednes esss in th t h e heav h eaven enlly pl p laces ace s ” (Eph (Eph.. 6: 6:12, NKJV NKJV). ).
This brings us to a stark reality: Our life issues and problems are spiritual issues and problems. In this struggle, however, we will ultim ultimatel ate ly be able to tas te victory. victory. To To prepare prepa re ourse ou rsellves for the battle, we must be trained. Spiritual training is absolutely imperative. If we make God the Lord of our lives, changing the four elements of the fourth-dimensional realm according to the will of God is feasible through spiritual training and discipline. There are are three t hree step s tepss in this s pir piritual tua l trai traini ning ng process proces s : traini training ng in prayer, p rayer, training training in the t he W ord, and an d trai t raining ning in the t he Holy Holy Spi Sp irit. rit. Training in Prayer
First First and an d foremos foremos t, we we need n eed to be traine trained d in prayer. praye r. The work o the Holy Spirit cannot occur within us without prayer backing spi ritua uali lity ty it up. And without the Holy Spirit, we’ll never get spirit right. The development of spirituality within us takes place through prayer. Therefore, training in prayer is absolutely imperative. I try to make every effort to give prayer my undivided attention every day. Prayer, to me, is life itself. Let’s take a br b rief loo look k at thi th is impo portant rtant topic. to pic. pra yer journa ou rnali ling ng . Through this First, we have what I call prayer means, I keep a record of my prayer life – what I’m praying for and how God answers my prayers. In prayer, I plan my daily activities and I establish my goals for the future. Before I start each new day, I lift up my prayers to the throne of God. I pray throughout the day to gain victory on a moment-to-moment bas ba s is , and an d I conclud con cludee my my day d ay with with prayer pray er as well well.
Second, I use pre-work pre -work ing in g prayer pra yer before before I start my ministerial work or preach from the pulpit. I see prayer as being a ministry toward an invisible God. I often tell my students, “Before you minister to people, minister to God first.” Before beginning the ministry of proclaiming the Word of God from the pulpit, God mus t be b e mi minis nis tered to through throug h pr p rayer. Third is the pray p rayer er of faith ai th . I want to stress the importance o prayi pray ing in faith faith,, with withou outt any an y d ou oubt bt whats what s oeve oe verr. To eng en g age ag e in the prayer in faith, you must trust implicitly in God, and the goals of your prayers must be clear. Confess everything in pos po s itive faith faith,, and an d antici an ticipa pate te God God’s ’s mi miracles racles . A ls o, learn learn the t he law of med mediitation ta tion in faith. faith . Fourth is is the prayer pra yer of o f comm co mman and d . Prayer in faith must stand on declared faith. This is similar to using the power that was bes be s towed to wed on Chris hris t. To s ub ubdu duee the th e creati creat ion around arou nd us and an d to be the th e cond co nduits uits throu th rough gh which which miracles racles can flow flow,, we we mu mu s t pray p ray in com c omm mandi and ing faith faith by decl dec laring aring what ha t we want and a nd bel be lieve. eve . pra yer o f comm co mmun unit ityy . I’d like to stress the Fifth is the prayer importance of what I call fasting prayers and crying-aloud prayers pray ers.. To To eng e ngag agee in prayer pray er whil whilee fasting fas ting forfeits forfeits drin drin king and an d eating and desires God with all our hearts, as we seek His grace and mercy to help us in our time of need. (See Heb. 4:16.) Crying-aloud prayers lengthen our time of concentration, and these kinds of prayer are very effective in our spiritual training,
becau be causs e they th ey provide pro vide us with with a po power werful ful means ean s to call up upon on God’s strength, mercy, and grace. These prayers can also be effective in creating unity among the members of the believing community, including the leaders, enabling the body of bel be lievers ev ers to create creat e a prayi pray ing cul cu lture. tu re.
Besides the things I’ve just mentioned, there are many other forms and models of prayer. We’ve already discussed some effective prayers that can be used to enable us to feel the pres ence en ce of ou ourr Lord and an d to with withss tand ta nd the th e evi ev il influe nfluenc nces es in ourr li ou lives ve s . You will discov dis cover er how ho w grand and expan expanss ive prayer praye r can be through our Lord’s Prayer, worship, praise, and the prayer pray er of s piri piritual tu al discern dis cernm ment. en t. I’d I’d also als o like to s tres s the th e importance of praying in tongues. Once we begin to pray in tongues through the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the inner workings of our hearts, we’ll be able to transcend all timidity, weakness, and fear, and experience God’s awesome presence and grace muc much h more more deeply. de eply. Through prayer we are empowered by the Holy Spirit in our fourth-dimensional realm, and this changes the way we think, dream, dream, have faith faith,, and s peak pea k. Training in the Word
The Word of God contains the will and thoughts of God. Our new thinki thinking ng,, appearance, and languag ang uagee are compl completed eted through throug h the spiritual Word of our living God. Meditating upon and
memorizing Scriptures develops and improves our fourthdimensional realm. Members of a church’s congregation experience the fourth-dimensional realm as they hear their pas pa s tor’ to r’ss mes s ages ag es . Theref The refore, ore, the th e direct directiion of the th e lives ve s of Christians can change for the better as each of us becomes s ensi ens itive tive to and an d tunes tu nes into God’s God’s Word. W ord. Also, the Word of God must be experienced in our daily lives. Even thoug tho ugh h the Bible ble is the ins nspi pirred Word Word of God God,, unless we experience God’s power and His works in our daily lives, the Scriptures will be meaningless to us. During every Lord’s Day worship service, I recite twenty different verses from the Scriptures. And I exhort the members of the congregation to study, memorize, and apply the Word of God in their lives each day. I believe that our thinking, faith, dreams, and words must be ins pired pired by the th e wil will of o f God God and an d His His Word. I hop h opee and an d pray that your fourth-dimensional spirituality is growing as you unders un derstan tand, d, med mediitate tat e upon up on,, and mem memori orizze the th e Scri Scriptures pt ures.. Training raini ng in i n th thee H Holy oly Spir Spirit it
Each one of us needs the training that is provided by, in, and through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you need to focus on the foll following owing three th ree thi th ing ngss and an d experi experienc encee them t hem in in yo your ur li life: First, stay in communion with the Holy Spirit. In the earlier years of my ministry, I didn’t know much about the Person of the Holy Spirit. After an early morning prayer service one day in 1964, I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit while I was praying
for the revival of the church. He said, “You know Me only through your yo ur person pe rsonal al enco en coun unte ters, rs, but bu t I’m I’m a Person Perso n . Being Bei ngss with a personality can’t be known only through occasional encounters; they come to be known through fellowship and ersonal experience. experien ce. Theref Therefore, ore, you must express gratitud gratit udee for for e, welcome Me, and acknowledge Me as a Person .” From that day on, I began conversing deeply with the Holy Spirit, and an d I sta s tarted rted expe experi rien encing cing God od’s ’s amaz amaziing grace grac e in my my life. life. Second, we must learn to work with the Holy Spirit as His companion. Communion with the Holy Spirit is manifested by the th e power p ower and the th e works works of Almi Almigh ghty ty God od.. Succes s or fail failure in our lives is determined by how much we accept Him as our Co mpanion pa nion and an d Helper in in our o ur mi ministri nis tries es .
Third, we must be in unity with the Holy Spirit. Unity with the Holy Spirit means being in a personal relationship with Him, bei be ing His His com co mpanion pa nion,, and an d bei be in g o ne with with Him Him in the th e fulles fullestt measure of oneness. Unity with the Holy Spirit will lead you into nt o a life life that th at is truly fil filled with with the th e Holy Spi Sp irit. rit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our dreams can be achieved. We can dream to become the witnesses of Christ instead of dreaming selfish dreams and living selfishly. The Holy Spirit can touch and move us from the three-dimensional realm and lead us to the realm of the fourth dimension where creati creative ve changes chan ges in ou ourr li lives are are waiti waiting ng for us .
Anticipate God’s Miracles and Experience Them in Your Life
The spiritual realm of the fourth dimension is the roadway where God’s children and God’s workings merge together. Also, through fourth-dimensional spirituality, you will be able to experience great changes in your third-dimensional realm. You can chang ch angee you y ourr thinki thinking ng,, your you r lev level el of fai faith th,, your you r dreams dreams , and your words through prayer and the Word. The Holy Spirit will gu guiide and a nd hel he lp you y ou to chang cha ngee you y ourr li life and to live yo your ur li life in a way that fulfills the mission that Christ has ordained for you. Through fourth-dimensional spirituality I received visions from the Holy Spirit. This spiritual experience combined with faith broug bro ught ht me int into o new n ew realm realmss of spiri s piritu tual al auth au thori ority, ty, and an d it mad madee it it pos po s s ible for Yoido Full Gos pel pe l Chu hurch rch to grow gro w and an d expa expan nd through God’s power. I’ve experienced many miracles throughout my ministry, and I’ve come to realize that miracles are exclusively within God’s realm and they are subject to His sovereignty. Miracles are continuing to be manifested in our church today. We’re seeing changed lives, the resolutions of all kinds of problems, healings, etc. Such phenomena are beco be com ming almos almos t n atural at ural to ou ourr cong co ngrega regation tion.. This happ ha ppen enss becau be causs e we bel be lieve ev e that th at God od,, who trans tran s cend cen d s all thi th ing ngss , is active in our midst, and He is interceding in our lives to help us deal de al wi with life’s fe’s problem pro blemss .
So, no matter what difficult circumstances might loom before
you today, start dreaming of victory. Believe the promises of God od.. Spe Speak ak declarations declarations of faith faith.. Lean Lean on the th e power p ower of the Holy Holy Spirit.
We have hav e special s pecial privi privilleges through throug h the t he gr g race of our Lord Lord Jesus Jes us Christ. We can dream life instead of death, victory instead of defeat, health instead of illness, and success instead of failure. Hold fast to our Lord’s promise: “ I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; ope brought open n your mouth wide wide,, an and d I will fill it” (Ps. 81:10, NKJV), and dream big. Dreaming is the word of the Holy
Spirit, and to dream means you are walking together with the Holy Spirit. You can claim victory as you proclaim your dream in words without ceasing and as you engage in affirmative, pos po s itive, and an d creati creat ive dream d reamss and an d thinki t hinkin n g. Declare spiritual victory over your life right now. Confront the problem pro blemss of you y ourr li life with with thi th inking nking,, faith faith,, dreams dreams , and an d words o fourth-dimensional spirituality from now on. And continue to yearn for the training you need to experience victory in spiritual warfare. Through training in prayer, training in the Word, and training in the Holy Spirit, your fourth-dimension spirituality will become a sanctified habit, not a one-time s piri piritual tu al high high.. And An d yo you u wil will expe experi rienc encee con c ontinual tinual chang ch angee withi th in your life. You will experience great and awesome miracles, and you will become a believer who is on a mission to achieve God’s dreams. It is with my exhortation and supplication that I pray that th at yo your ur life wil will be b e fil filled with with God od’’s amaz amaziing grace grac e and an d bless bles s ing ngss , and an d that th at His His works works wil will be mani an ifeste fes ted d throu th rough gh His His
s up upernatu ernatural ral mi miracles racles.. Yes, es , fourth-dimen fourth-dimenss ion onal al spir s piriitual tu aliity is enti ent irely rely po poss s ible for you yo u to experience in your three-dimensional world!
