The-Seven-Circles

The Seven Circles of the Spiritual Life

Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be

sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and

to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)

You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready

to learn Truth from the Word of God.

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth,"

(John 4:24)

“How can I develop my Spiritual life?” This is a vital question that should

concern every Christian. Since the Spiritual life is the most valuable

commodity that the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ possesses, we must

learn how it can be developed and strengthened so as to produce the peace,

blessing, power and strength that God intended. All the ingredients needed to

develop a strong faith that produces in us the monopolies and byproducts of

the Christian life are found in, (Psa 27:1-14).

All faith begins at the moment we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for our

Salvation. At that point we have just a little more faith than is found in a grain

of mustard seed. The Bible says: “But these [Thoughts] have been written so

that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that

believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) “He who believes in the

Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but

the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) “...Believe in the Lord Jesus,

and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:31)

This Salvation, which begins at the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus

Christ, results in our receiving 40 plus things. These include the forgiveness

and cleansing of all sin, the absolute righteousness of God, eternal life, Christ

dwelling in us, the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit, entrance into

the plan of God, the election of God, and many other wonderful things, which

are a direct result of our position in Christ. At this point every believer starts

with a perfect position, but with a very weak Spiritual life experientially.

As the Spiritual life develops it broadens into ever-widening circles, until

we move into the place of Spiritual maturity and production in our Christian

life. There are seven of these circles. We will examine each of them in our

study of the development of the Spiritual life. After the first step of Salvation,

the second step in the development of faith is found in, (Rom 10:17) “So faith

comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” The basic and

primary prerequisite for the development of the Spiritual life is the habitual,

daily intake of God’s Word taught Isagogically Categorically and Exegetically.

(I.C.E.) To communicate Divine Thoughts to the assembly by Isagogics,

(Historical background) Categories (Salvation, sin, Spirituality, carnality, etc.)

and Exegesis. (Etymological and syntactical word meanings from the original

languages)

The third circle in the enlargement of the Spiritual life is the exercise of

faith, or the ability to apply what you have learned. We call this the “faith-rest

technique”: understanding certain Doctrines and applying them to experience;

understanding and knowing certain Promises and Thinking with Them

constantly. (Heb 4:1-3)

The fourth circle is the Spirit-controlled life. The fruit of God the Holy

Spirit, (Gal 5:22-23) IS THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

The next step for the Christian, the fifth circle is the area of testing or

suffering. “So that the proof of your faith, [Spiritual life] being more precious

than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to

result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

(1Pe 1:7) When we face adversities, trials, claim Promises to utilize them and

to face our problems in the light of Divine Viewpoint. Suffering becomes a

means of putting muscle on our Spiritual life and developing it to the maximum.

This leads to a sixth development, “Occupation with Christ,” which is found

in, (Heb 12:2) “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,

[The Spiritual life] who for the joy [Us] set before Him endured the cross,

despising the shame, [Thinking little of] and has sat down at the right hand of

the throne of God.” Our Spiritual life is strengthened as we face suffering

from the Divine Viewpoint, “For we walk by faith, [Spiritual Thinking] not by

sight.” (2Co 5:7) When we are able to look at everything that happens to us

in the light of God’s Viewpoint, we have reached the place of Occupation with

Christ.

Finally we move into the place of true Spiritual maturity and production.

When there is a day by day absorption of God’s Word and the application of

it to experience, when a Spiritual life produces, when any problem, adversity,

sorrow or trial in life can be faced with stability and perfect peace, when

there is Occupation with the Person of Christ — it is then that the believer

moves into Spiritual maturity and reaches the point of maximum production.

(MGG: Maximum glorification of God) He has the Spiritual life which can

move mountains! There is nothing in this world that can touch him. He is

always ORIENTED. He is always HAPPY. He always has PEACE, whether

he is in a place of trial and adversity or a place of great prosperity and

blessing. These seven Principles in the progression of the Spiritual life are all

contained in one Psalm.

PSALM 27

Circle Number 1 — Salvation. In, (Psa 27:1) we read, “The LORD is my

light and my Salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my

life; Whom shall I dread? The Spiritual life begins at this point: “The Lord is

my Salvation.” Circle Number 1 is personal Salvation by faith in the Lord

Jesus Christ. “The LORD” is a reference to the second Person of the Trinity,

the God-Man, who came to earth over 1900 years ago and suffered death

upon the cross while bearing the sins of the entire world. When He hung there

He was taking our place. He was removing every claim that God had against

us. HE IS SALVATION. HE IS THE ONLY HOPE! (Acts 4:12) declares: “And

there is Salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that

has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Not only is the Lord Salvation, His is also MY Salvation. “My” is a personal

pronoun. This Salvation belongs to me personally. But this Salvation does not

avail anything for me until the day that I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. All

faith must originate at the Cross. There is no “faith-rest technique” until one

personally believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior.

A certain prominent minister in our country has a very interesting

technique by which he has been able to help many people to a limited extent.

It actually boils down to a system of auto-hypnosis, for his method is to

persuade people that their trials and troubles really do not exist. He implies

that if they will repeatedly tell themselves that their troubles do not exist, that

somehow these troubles will evaporate into thin air. If the weather is bad

when you arise in the morning, just stand in front of the mirror and with every

stroke of the razor say to yourself, “It’s a beautiful day, it’s a beautiful day.” If

you say it often enough, you will persuade yourself that it really is a beautiful

day. When you walk out into a blowing gale and almost freeze to death, with

icicles dropping off your nose, it will still be a beautiful day, because you have

persuaded yourself of that fact. Now, this man uses certain Biblical

Principles, but he uses them out of context, particularly the “faith-rest

technique.” He presents it as something that the entire human race can use.

But this is absolutely impossible, because the “faith-rest technique” depends

upon believing certain Promises, which are for the believer only, and applying

these Promises to experience. Before anyone can apply the Promises of the

Bible to his life he must start where God declares all faith begins: at Calvary’s

Cross. Faith which will produce the desired effect must begin at the Cross.

You cannot have any system such as the one advocated by this preacher and

by many of the cults until you have first accepted the death of Christ on the

cross as payment for your sins — past, present, and future.

Man’s basic problem in time is not the discomfort that comes his way

through trial, adversity or difficulty. Rather, it is the problem of his relationship

with God. A barrier exists because it is impossible for a sinful man to have

fellowship with a holy and righteous God. Even man’s good deeds cannot

measure up to God’s perfect righteousness. No matter how you may

consider man, he is incapable of having fellowship with God. Knowing this,

God devised the perfect plan — a perfect plan from a perfect person. Jesus

Christ came into this world, went to the cross, died for our sins and thereby

completely removed the barrier between man and God. Now the only barrier

that stands between the human race and an eternal relationship with God is

the Person of Jesus Christ. Where you spend eternity is determined by our

attitude toward the Son of God. Whether you will ever have any peace or

blessing in this life is also determined by your attitude toward Christ. The

issue of Salvation is very clear.

“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been

judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten

Son of God.” (John 3:18)

David wrote many hundreds of years ago that he had accepted Christ, the

promised Messiah, as his Savior, for he said, “The Lord is my light and my

Salvation.” In our syntactic outline, the first phrase that comes to our attention

is Salvation — Circle Number 1. The Lord is my Salvation. Jesus Christ is

Salvation. Salvation is a Person. If Jesus Christ alone is Salvation, whom else

can I trust? The answer is, no one. The whole Principle of Psalm 27 is that an

eternal relationship with God can only be obtained through faith in Christ. The

Cross is the only barrier that stands between you and God. God cannot have

fellowship with us because we are sinners by birth and by action. But Christ

died on the cross and paid for our sins. God cannot have fellowship with us

as a member of the human race, because we are under the penalty of sin,

which is eternal death. (Eternal separation from God) When Christ died, He

paid that penalty. Furthermore, God cannot have relationship with us because

we are born into this world with three strikes against us — imputed sin,

inherent sin, and personal sin. Jesus Christ resolved all three problems when

He died upon the cross.

By human standards my life may be very impressive with many good

deeds, but as far as God is concerned, they all add up to relative

righteousness. (-R) All of the good works in the world cannot measure up to

God’s standard of absolute righteousness. (+R) Jesus Christ who is equal

with God (John 10:30) and yet a true member of the human race, was also

absolute righteousness. He therefore satisfied the requirement of absolute

righteousness. Thus everything that God had against me as a member of the

human race, was also absolute righteousness. He therefore satisfied the

requirement of absolute righteousness. Thus everything that God had against

me as a member of the human race was resolved at the Cross. The Cross

takes care of everything, so that Jesus Christ becomes MY Salvation when I

believe in Him.

“The Lord is my light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear” (Psa 27:1) or

“whom shall I trust?” There is only one Person in whom I can trust, because

there is only one Savior, (Not two, not a dozen saviors, not a lot of religions,

not a universal Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. There is only

ONE SAVIOR) the Lord Jesus Christ — and therefore, only one condition of

Salvation: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...”

(Acts 16:31)

But that is just the beginning of the story. We move on to another Principle

in this verse. “The Lord is the strength of my life.” This has to do with eternal

security, for remember that all security in time is based upon security in

eternity. Once I believe in Jesus Christ I possess eternal life, and this eternal

life which is given to me at the moment of Salvation is something that can

never be removed. There are many facets of this security: first of all, I am in

union with Christ the moment I accept Him as Savior. I cannot get out of that

relationship. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in

Christ Jesus.” (Rom 8:1) Further, Paul states, “For I am convinced that

neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor

things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created

thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ

Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39) To believe in Jesus Christ, to put one’s trust

in Him, to depend upon Him for Salvation, means that I cannot lose my

Salvation. This relationship cannot be broken. There is nothing I can do to

change this situation. Once I have trusted in Jesus Christ, I possess a

relationship with Him which lasts forever. Eternal security is exactly what its

definition implies — secure for all eternity. Consequently, in this same circle

we have not only Salvation, but also the assurance of it. I am assured of life

forever in the presence of God. While it is impossible to describe it in human

language, I am to understand that it is a fantastically wonderful blessing.

Now while we are still living in time, and having accepted Christ as Savior,

we might take a look out into eternity. We see that eternity is a long, long

time — billions and billions of years. Since we understand that we are going

to live with Him forever and ever and nothing can ever change that, we might

very easily draw a false conclusion. Experientially, we can jump in either one

of two ways.

Let us take the incorrect conclusion first. I can say to myself, “All right,

since the Bible says once saved, always saved, and since I cannot lose my

Salvation, I think I’ll kick up my heels a little bit in the meantime. Why not just

eat, drink and be merry, for no matter what I do now, I will go into the

presence of the Lord when I die! This is a false experiential implication from a

true Doctrinal Principle. A false conclusion is drawn from a correct Premise,

one which overlooks the Doctrine of Divine discipline. “FOR THOSE WHOM

THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON

WHOM HE RECEIVES.” (Heb 12:6) Believers who take this road have

eternal life but they dedicate themselves to perpetual misery in time and

removal of rewards at the Judgment Seat.

However, there are some correct implications from this Doctrine. Since

the question of eternity has been solved, I know that if God does not see fit

to remove me from this life, He must have a purpose for my staying here.

There is something He wants me to do. I am to represent Him. My life will be

full of meaning and purpose and definition. I realize that since I have eternal

stability, the result in time is temporal stability. If God can provide eternal

security or eternal stability for me through the cross, He can also provide

temporal stability or temporal security for me in time. Suddenly I wake up and

realize that not only is Jesus Christ my Salvation, He is also my security! My

security is NOT the money I have accumulated. My security is NOT my social

or economic position. My security is NOT a home or human friendship or

human relationship. It is NOT in the job I hold, NOT in the future I have;

security does not depend upon living by my brains, my brawn, or anything

else I may have by way of success in this life. MY SECURITY IS ONE

PERSON — THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

The first circle, then is receiving the LORD Jesus Christ as my Savior and the

assurance that nothing can take away this “so great Salvation.” I know that

He is the One who keeps me. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from

stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with

great joy.” (Jud 1:24) I also know. “To obtain an inheritance which is

imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for

you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a Salvation

ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:4-5) I know that eternity is

solved once and for all, and I know Who solved it: “The LORD is my

Salvation!” The Lord provided en toto. I did not earn it, I did not work for it. I

did not deserve it, nor did I add anything to it. I simply trusted Him; I simply

believed it. As far as eternity is concerned, beyond the grace, beyond death,

there is nothing for me but blessing. “And He will wipe away every tear from

their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any

mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4)

I know that “to be absent from the body is to be ‘face to face’ with the Lord.”

(2Co 5:8) I know that Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who

believes in Me will live even if he dies.” (John 11:25) I know that I, as well as

all other believers who reach Spiritual maturity, will be in a place that is so

wonderful it is beyond human description. Therefore, immediately I say to

myself, “Beyond death there is nothing to fear, there is nothing harsh or

unpleasant to anticipate for ever and ever.”

As a result I can take another look at time, I am having troubles, trials and

adversities. Until now I have been depending upon social and economic

position for my security. I kept planning ahead so that I might eke out life for

a few miserable years, rusting away before I check out, and I thought this

was a great thing. I may call it social security, and I may call it a retirement

plan. But what ever it is, I have realized at last where my security really lies,

in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer do I think only in terms of

security after the age of 60 or 65. I can anticipate security as of the moment

I believe in Jesus Christ. The moment I reach this conclusion, my faith

responds. I believe this to be true, and at that moment a new process is

started. I have begun to take cognizance of Doctrine. I am taking in

information, and now I begin to move into circle Number 2 of this Psalm, the

circle found in, (Psa 27:4-11).

Circle Number 2 — Study. The more I know about the Bible, the

stronger my Spiritual life becomes. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing

by the Word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17) Now notice, (Psa 27:4). We have a

fivefold pattern of Bible study and assimilation of God’s Word. “One thing I

have asked...” First, as soon as I am born again, (If I am a normal Spiritual

baby) I have a desire for Spiritual milk. Spiritual milk is contained in God’s

Word. “One thing I have asked from the LORD...” Regeneration brings a

desire for Truth — for Divine Thinking. “That I shall seek...” The second part

of the pattern is study or seeking. It says, I will seek the Truth, the milk or

food that God gives. First of all then there is motivation. I now have a desire

to study the Word. Before I believed in Jesus Christ, the Bible was just

another book — one in which I had little interest. Apparently a lot of

controversy existed over this book, but I found other books much more

interesting to read. Now, everything is changed — I believed in Jesus Christ.

The Bible is a real and living book. The Bible is God’s Word and Thinking.

It is a Book which has stood all the tests, all of the controversies, all of the

opposition of the ages, and continues to exist, right up to this moment, as a

best seller, even though at the same time it is the most attacked Book in the

history of mankind. It is God’s Thoughts in written form, and in it I have

Promises and Principles to apply to every circumstance of life. I am suddenly

aware that not only is the Person of Jesus Christ my temporal and eternal

security, but also that He has very graciously given me something in addition

to Salvation. He has given me written Promises and Principles to use in time,

and as I utilize and Think with these Principles I have the full realization of

temporal security. “One thing I have asked...” Motivation: desire for the

Word. “That I shall seek…” “Divine Truth must be sought at its source, and

there is only one source of it — the Bible.

The third Principle involved, “...That I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life...” Please notice that he is talking about life on this

earth, not in the hereafter. He is talking about time, not eternity. He says that

he wants to dwell in the house of the Lord. Now immediately a question

arises. What is this house of the Lord that David speaks of? It cannot be the

Temple, for the Temple was not yet in existence. He is referring to the

Tabernacle. The house of the Lord, the Tabernacle, was their Spiritual life.

These people could not literally dwell in the Tabernacle, but the Temple could

be built in them, and they could keep on Thinking about the Person of Christ,

the Promised Messiah, as He was revealed in the Tabernacle. The house of

the Lord is analogous to the Spiritual life with its seven circles or gates.

(1Co 3:9-16)

In David’s day the revelation of God was a little different. Instead of

having it in writing, they had it in the form which they could see. Many of the

Jews could not read or write, and thus, would be handicapped in the

assimilation of Divine Truths. In order that they might understand everything

involved in Spiritual phenomena, they had, for example, a brazen altar which

spoke of Christ dying for their sins. In the first part of the tabernacle, (The

holy place) there was the table of showbread, a type of Christ, the bread of

life. There was a candlestick speaking of Christ, the light of the world, and a

golden altar speaking of the intercessory work in the Lord Jesus. Separating

the holy place from the Holy of Holies was a veil which spoke of the

incarnation of the Person of Christ. Inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of

the Covenant which contained those things which spoke of sin, reminding

them of reconciliation, atonement and propitiation. The ark was covered with

gold, representing His Deity. The wood of the ark spoke of the humanity of

Christ bearing the sins of the world. On the covering or lid was the mercy

seat which spoke of Christ as a propitiation. Every article in the Tabernacle

was an eloquent testimony of some phase of the Person and or work of the

Lord Jesus Christ.

This was their Bible, and when David said, “I want to dwell in the house of

the Lord all the days of my life, he was talking about the living Temple in the

soul. He was talking about assimilating God’s Word; he was talking about

daily, habitual exposure to the Word of God through the ear-gate and for us

as royal family the eye-gate, listening as it was taught by others in his day,

such as the prophet Nathan.

The fourth pattern found in, (Psa 27:4) is meditation. “…That I may dwell

in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold” — not the beauty,

but the Hebrew says literally, the graciousness of the Lord. “The word

“behold” means to meditate in a searching manner. It means to put a lingering

or charmed gaze upon something. We look into God’s Word and discover His

grace — not only in Salvation, not only in His keeping power, but also in

rebound, or restoration of fellowship, (1Jn 1:9) this is a perfect illustration of

grace. There is grace in prayer: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence

to the throne of grace...” (Heb 4:16) “But grow in the grace and knowledge of

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2Pe 3:18) “…I have written to you briefly,

exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!”

(1Pe 5:12) “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God…”

(Heb 12:15) Everywhere we turn in God’s Word we see His grace. We see

our unworthiness, and yet, as unworthy as we are, Divine operating assets

are provided, and we move into the area of temporal security. By the way,

what is YOUR temporal security number?

The final phases in, (Psa 27:4) is inquiry. “To meditate in His Temple.”

The word “meditate” means to make a reconnaissance. When the Bible was

written the word “meditate” meant to examine a sick patient. The idea is to

investigate the Word so that the Word investigates us! “Teach me Your way,

O LORD.” (Psa 27:11) As a result of learning His Ways, [Thoughts] we are

guided. “…And lead me in a level path.” or literally — in an even path, a path

which is easy to follow and easy to discern. “And lead me in a level path

Because of my foes.” “Foes,” of course, refer to the world, the flesh and the

devil — all things which seek to frustrate us in fulfilling Divine will and Divine

guidance.

That is Circle Number 2: knowledge of the Word. As we daily, habitually

and continually absorb God’s Word; this faith which begins at the Cross,

(As small as a grain of mustard seed) starts to grow. However, if you have

accepted Christ sometime in the past but have not absorbed God’s Word

through the intake of categorical teaching of the Word of God, you are a

Spiritual moron. You could not be otherwise because you have had no

Spiritual food. YOU CANNOT GROW SPIRITUALLY WITHOUT SPIRITUAL

FOOD! Then, too, you are confused with regard to guidance. You want to

know what is God’s will, but when you find yourself confronted with a difficult

problem, you do not know which way to turn. You immediately try to find

someone who can tell you what is God’s will for you, because you personally

cannot determine God’s will for yourself. You need daily study and absorption

of the Word. When this happens, your Spiritual life will begin to grow.

Circle Number 3 — The Faith-Rest Drill. Once you begin to learn the

Word of Truth, once you begin to learn the Promises, then you begin to

exercise your Spiritual life — you apply Divine Thinking to experience.

(Psa 27:5) “For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle...”

The tabernacle refers to the court. In this case, the analogy is to the Spiritual

life of God. In time of trouble, where does God hide the believer? Where is

the place of blessing? Where is the shelter? It is in the Promises of the Word

of God filled with God the Holt Spirit. “And we know that God causes all

things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are

called according to His purpose.” Many of you have discovered (Rom 8:28)

many times, in time of trouble, you have hidden yourself in the “tabernacle” of

Romans 8:28, or in the “tabernacle” of, (Exo 14:13-14)

“...Do not fear! Stand by and see the Salvation (Deliverance) of the

LORD... The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Many of you have hidden yourselves in the wonderful “tabernacle” of,

(1Sa 17:47) “The battle is the Lord’s,” or (1Pe 5:7) “casting all your anxiety

on Him, because He cares for you,” or (Psa 55:22) “Cast your burden upon

the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be

shaken.” There are many, many wonderful Promises in God’s Word. When

did you last claim one of them? Have you hidden yourself in the “tabernacle”

— His Tabernacle — the Promises of the Word; the new Spiritual nature?

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent

Promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the Divine nature,

[Tabernacle — Spiritual life] having escaped the corruption that is in the world

by lust. (2Pe 1:4)

(Psa 27:5) goes on to say, “For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in

His tabernacle In the secret place of His tent He will hide me,” refers to the

Spiritual life. There are many Principles of Doctrine found in God’s Word

which are applicable to you. How many times have you, in a time of trouble

and trial, taken one simple little Doctrine, such as the Doctrine of Divine

Essence, or the Character of God, and applied it to your particular problem?

For example, you are having difficulty as a believer under stress conditions.

Applying the Doctrine of Divine essence; your Spiritual Thinking should run

something like this: “God is SOVEREIGN. This is a part of His essence.

Since He is sovereign, He has a plan for me in time. He has security for me in

time, as well as in eternity.” Furthermore, you Think, “God is ABSOLUTE

RIGHTEOUSNESS; therefore, whatever He has provided for me in time must

be as perfect as He is perfect. God is JUSTICE; therefore, His provision is

fair. It is something that is easily obtainable. It is something that can be

appropriated without having to develop some superior mentality. Now since

God is also love, and that love He has for His only begotten Son, I know He

will carry me through this situation.” You cannot help but exclaim, “Why, this

is marvelous!”

“God is ETERNAL LIFE, and I share that life. Since He has provided the

hard thing — eternal security — I know that He can easily provide security for

me in time. God is OMNISCIENT. He knows my situation. In fact, He knew it

billions of years ago — omniscience plus eternity. Since billions of years ago

He knew every condition I would face in time, He made provision for it. God is

OMNIPOTENT. He is able to deliver me through this situation. God is

OMNIPRESENT. He is right here observing this problem. God is

IMMUTABLE. He is faithful in helping me in all the difficulties, trials and

troubles in life.” This is the application of one simple Doctrine to our Thinking;

in ANY situation. We need to Think with Spiritual Thoughts — Doctrine —

Principles as well as Promises — so that we can hide in His Tabernacle, in

the secret of His Tent. (Spirit and Truth) “...He will conceal me in His

tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me...” What then is the

result in time? — Stability! “…He will lift me up on a Rock.” I have stability in

time because I have discovered the secret to security in time is, first of all,

the Cross, I have believed in Jesus Christ. The second secret to security is

growing Spiritually by absorbing the Word. Then thirdly, the application of the

Word to every Thought, in every situation and or the exercise of faith in daily

experience.

Circle Number 4 — The Filling of God the Holy Spirit. This results in a

further development of faith, introduced in the first phrase of the Psalm: “The

LORD is my light...” The Lord is my animation. Without the Lord, I would have

no inner beauty, no animation on the inside, no peace. You see, if there is to

be any stability in time for any member of the human race, it must come from

the inside. Suppose you have acquired a large sum of money — a mountain

of it, yet no matter how large the bank roll, it will not give you stability, for it is

on the outside. You have many friends — male and female — who stimulate

you by their attentions. But this will not answer the problem either. You could

have all the friends in the world; you could have all the wonderful social

situations one could ever imagine; you could have everything in life, a beautiful

home and a wonderful family, but that is not the answer. Whatever it is,

whatever you want, this is not going to give you satisfaction, because

satisfaction is on the inside. Peace is on the inside. Stability is on the inside,

and that is where it must start.

“The LORD is my light,” and the light is on the inside, this light is His

provision. First of all, Christ is the light, and Christ is in us, (Indwells us) “The

hope of glory.” (Col 1:27) Secondly, God the Holy Spirit is in us, (Indwells us)

and is also called our light in, (Eph 5:9). “Light” which is the filling of God the

Holy Spirit. (Gal 5:22) This Principle is further stated in, (Eph 5:14). “For this

reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead And Christ will

shine on you.” (1Jn 1:9) Rebound, not Salvation in this context, “And Christ

will shine on you.” (The filling of God the Holy Spirit) The filling of the Spirit

which produces light also becomes a developer of the Spiritual life, and

moves us out of Circle Number 5.

Circle Number 5 — Suffering. After we have habitually absorbed God’s

Word, after we have continually fed upon it day by day, after we have

learned to apply it through the “faith-rest technique,” after we have moved

into an area where we are controlled by God the Holy Spirit a greater part of

the time; then God permits suffering. Most of this Psalm, strangely enough,

deals with the subject of suffering. Notice, for example, (Psa 27:2-3). “When

evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my

enemies, they stumbled and fell.” Why? Because of the Lord’s protection.

“Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear;” Place yourself in

an actual military situation where you are completely surrounded by the

enemy. Would you be frightened? How would you react with shells bursting

all around you, knowing you were trapped and cut off? Listen to this. “Though

a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear;” Why? Because the Lord is

SECURITY. “Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be

confident.” Confidence cannot be shaken by war itself!

Then again in, (Psa 27:6) “And now my head will be lifted up above my

enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent [Spirit and Truth] sacrifices

with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.” Verses 2,

3 and 6 refer to suffering inflicted by people. There are many ways in which

people can hurt other people. Yet, if the Lord IS our Salvation, if the Lord IS

our security, the strength of our life, if we are absorbing his Word, if we are

Thinking with it, if we are controlled by the Spirit who indwells us, then people

(This may shock you) can no longer hurt us! You do not develop a thick

elephant hide covered with calluses. You develop a fine, smooth “Virtue”

cover that no human being can get through. You are a believer in time with

perfect peace and blessing, even though you have enemies, people who

despise you, with or without cause; people who seek your destruction, your

downfall. These people can often make you very miserable, and they will, if

you let them. Whether you let them or not depends on how you follow the

Gates of Psalm 27.

But there are other sufferings in this passage. Those, for example, in

verses 7 and 9 where we see suffering as a result of discipline. Here David

cries out, “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me

and answer me.” Now he is under discipline, He is being spanked, “FOR

THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES

EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” (Heb 12:6) Again, he says in verse 9,

“Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my

Salvation!” David is being chastened very severely, and therefore he utters

this cry of suffering. Of course, the answer to discipline is, (1Jn 1:9) —

rebound and keep moving.

There is yet another type of suffering in, (Psa 27:10). “When my father

and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” In this category of

suffering, as in ALL others, the answer is found in the Spiritual life.

You will notice another type of pressure found in: (Psa 27:12) gossip,

criticism and maligning. The tongue is a vicious thing. It destroys and hurts

people. More people have been hurt by the edge of the tongue than will ever

be hurt by the edge of the sword. “Do not deliver me over to the desire of my

adversaries, For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe

out violence.” This cruelty would not be considered physical punishment — it

is done with their tongue. They speak evil. But even for this pressure we have

a Pavilion of Promise: “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue And

you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.” (Job 5:21)

The answer to ALL pressure in life is the temporal security of,

(Psa 27:2-4).

(1Pe 1:7) is the pattern of Circle No. 5. “So that the proof of your faith,

(Spiritual life) being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though

tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the

revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Circle Number 6 — Occupation With Christ. Verses 8 and 13: “When You

said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O LORD, I shall

seek.” This is Occupation with the Person of Christ. This is a further step

forward. This comes as a result of great pressures mixed with claiming

Promises and trusting Him in the midst of these pressures. We build

tremendous faith and stability when we take our sufferings, trials and

problems and apply Scripture to every adverse situation. If we turn the battle

over to the Lord, we can stand still and watch His deliverance. Then we

develop tremendous peace, blessing and joy in life, which results in

Occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Thoughts. Our eyes are upon

Him. (Heb 12:2) No longer do we carry illusions with regard to people or

things, or even self. We no longer are guilty of lusting after materialistic things

or people; so that we are off balance much of the time.

Circle Number 7 — Spiritual Maturity. (MGG: Maximum Glorification of

God) As a result, we move into that pattern of temporal security which is

found in Circle 7 — MGG in the Spiritual life. (Psa 27:14) “Wait for the

LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”

(Psa 27:13) Gives us the preview of it: “I would have despaired unless I

had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the

living.” The word for believe in verse 13 means to use God as a prop. It is our

English word “amen.” “I would have despaired” means I would fall apart

mentally unless I believed it. This Spiritual life which has been developed

through the reading and studying of the Word, through the application of God’

s Word in the “faith-rest technique,” through the filling of God the Holy Spirit,

through its application in time of great adversity and trial — this Spiritual life

now brings me to the place of peace, stability and blessing. I have found that

there is in time a true happiness which nothing can remove and nothing can

destroy. If happiness depends upon materialistic possessions, then I will find

that my materialistic possessions can be removed leaving me unhappy.

Therefore, I will constantly be unhappy even though I may appear happy, for I

am constantly in fear of losing my materialistic possession. Having things

causes me to worry about losing them. But if I do not have them, I am

constantly wanting them. Either way, I am off balance and miserable, even

though I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. But if I have followed these

previous circles, then what a change! I may have all the money in the world,

but I am happy — not because I have money, but because the Lord is my

security, and if the money comes or goes, I am still happy. Conversely, I may

not have anything, but I still have that same peace, that same happiness and

that same blessing! This Principle is expressed in, (Php 4:11-12) where Paul

says, “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to

live in prosperity...” For I have learned to be content in whatever

circumstances I am.” This word for “content” is true Christian happiness.

Happiness does not depend upon possessions or the lack of them. Happiness

does not depend upon social relationships, or lack of them. Happiness does

not depend upon my economic status, or what people think of me, or what

circumstances in life happen to exist. My happiness is the LORD. As I have

absorbed His Word, and applied it to every situation, as I have appropriated

His provision in the filling of God the Holy Spirit, I have discovered that there

is absolutely nothing in this life that can bother me or remove the wonderful

security and peace which is mine.

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the

goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” (Psa 27:13) The goodness is

the gracious provision of the Lord in the land of the living — not when you are

dead! He says, “Now, wake up! Christians! When you die, it is going to be

wonderful beyond description!” But remember, “for you to live is Christ,” as

well as “to die is gain.” (A promotion; Php 1:21) So, he says, “Here is the

secret: You are going to faint, believer; you are going to be unhappy — with

or without things — whichever way it goes for you, unless you believe to see

the goodness, the gracious provisions of the Lord in the land of the living.

Therefore, “WAIT ON THE LORD...” (Psa 27:14)

The word for “wait” is a very interesting Hebrew word, “kiwah.” When

you start out as a believer, you start out like a string or a thread; you begin

as one strand. Anyone can pick you up and snap you just as you can snap or

break a thread. But as you begin to study and learn something, another

thread is added. Now you are just a little bit stronger and just a little bit

bigger. You do the same thing again the next day. Then you have a problem,

and you Think with a Promise which you have learned. The next day it is

something different, and each day you take in the Word, study and apply.

Then you come to a very difficult spot in your life which you face with “faith-

rest.” You keep weaving in these strands, and suddenly, the life that started

as a little strand is now a great, powerful cable which nothing can break. This

is the development of the circles. (Spiritual life) The word “wait” is the

greatest word in the Hebrew language for trusting. It means that you start out

as a little strand, but as you weave yourself in with the Promises, Doctrines

and all the things which are provided in the Word of God, you become like a

mighty cable — strong and unbreakable. You have absolute temporal

security, a security which comes from the continuous application of FAITH.

“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for

the LORD.” (Psa 27:14)

It is impossible for the believer to Spiritually mature apart from the

development of the Spiritual life. There is no short cut to Spiritual maturity. It

requires each of the activities which have been enucleated in this message.

The rather trite expression which is used as a panacea, “have faith,” is

absolutely meaningless unless the procedures which have been outlined are

followed and utilized. There is no magic formula for the development of a

strong faith. It requires daily nourishment from the Word, the exercise of the

“faith-rest technique,” the filling of God the Holy Spirit, the pressure of

suffering and Occupation with Christ. All of these ingredients contribute to the

development of faith, (The Spiritual life) from a grain of mustard seed to a

power that can remove ANY problem life has.

We are reminded in, (Heb 11:6) “But without faith [Spiritual Thinking Thought

with] it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him for he who comes to God must

BELIEVE that He IS and that He IS a rewarder of those who seek Him!”

END