There are words in the original language of the Bible that have no real equivalent in the English translation. However, Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom of God are more than sufficient to clarify any misunderstandings.
The Kingdom of God is a realm one enters via the door of the heart. The door of the heart is our personal beliefs. When we believe on Jesus as Lord and believe His teaching to be the way of life we open the door to the realm and resources of the Kingdom of God.
The beliefs of the heart are more about personal identity than anything else; therefore, beliefs in your heart cannot be separated from who you are or what you do. All behavior is a direct reflection and physical expression of whom we believe ourselves to be; so the idea of believing one thing and doing something else is completely foreign to the Word of God in both the Old and New Testaments.
Words like believe, choose, decide, receive and many other commonly used “Christian terms” do not have the same casual, non-committal concepts implied by the English language. These are all words that carry the concept of commitment, obedience and even repentance (change of mind). To those who do not approach God from the heart this seems like performance or legalism, but in the language of the Bible this is about trust. Click here for more information about The Supernatural Power of Making Decisions.
Many of our failures to experience those things we have chosen or “believed” are the result of a casual, non-committal approach to God’s Word. These decisions are really more like considerations than commitment. It’s more like trying to do something as opposed to giving oneself to it wholeheartedly.
If it is a decision made from the heart we don’t just want the benefits of the decision, we want to be the person who can live in that decision. For example, do I want a better position in my company or do I want to be the kind of employee that earns raises and promotions? Do I want my spouse to love me more or do I want to be more lovable? Join me in this week’s CyberChurch message, What I Look Like in My Dream.
