What is this super substance, you excitedly ask? I have kept you in suspense long enough...
» Hebrews 11:1 (emphasis mine)
1 Now FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is the substance. There you have it - the Super Substance has been revealed! What things do you hope for? Faith is the substance of those things. Faith is the substance of our heavenly hope and it is the substance of every other blessing we hope for along our spiritual journey.
The entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews is devoted to the working of this amazing substance in the lives of the Bible's most celebrated names. From Abel to Samuel, we are given insight into the vital role of faith - God's super substance - in a variety of circumstances. In fact, so prevalent is this substance among Heaven's all-stars that ''the time would fail'' to recount every case (see verse 32). The Super Substance of faith is the sine qua non of our spiritual adventure; it's impossible to please God without it (verse 6).
''FAITH ON!'': HOW TO ACTIVATE THE SUBSTANCE
The skies of the superhero universe are frequently illuminated with a streak of fire. What might this fantastic flash be? It's the blazing glory known to comic book consumers as The Human Torch - a mythical character who can transform himself into fire, opening a new realm of transcendent capabilities. He can activate these hyperhuman powers by uttering but two words: Flame on! In an instant a man of flesh is turned into a living inferno. He isn't consumed by the fire because he has become the fire.
There is a miraculous flame available to us, and it wasn't kindled in any art studio. This combustible substance is very real and ever accessible.
Faith is a latent spiritual torch, and like the aforementioned super power, it must be activated in order to save the day. It would be nice if we could flip the switch by merely commanding: Faith on! But The Faith Flame doesn't work like that. Thankfully, our Super Manual gives very specific instructions concerning its activation.
It turns out that the Super Substance is activated by a special application of vibration and electromagnetic radiation. I'm not making this up. It's all in the Manual...
» Proverbs 4:20-22 (emphasis mine)
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine EAR unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine EYES; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
The collected words and sayings of our heavenly Father are contained in the Bible. They are the Super Scriptures and Super Sayings of the Higher Power. What a precious, priceless treasure! Once you ''find them,'' you have found spiritual life and physical health.
''...incline thine ear unto my sayings.'' This means, quite simply, to hear the Word of God. Listen to the Super Scriptures. Let the sweet sound of God's sayings penetrate your ears. By so doing, you will position yourself to receive biblical blessings.
From the physics point of view, sound is actually vibration. It is vibrational energy. When an object vibrates, the energy is transmitted through the air as sound waves. Once this energy reaches your ears, it causes your eardrums to vibrate as well. The sound waves continue to advance until they arrive in your inner ear. At this point you ''hear'' the particular sound.
Alas, there are a swarm of sounds gaining entrance to our ears (and thus our spiritual consciousness) on a regular basis which do not serve us. This auditory tidal wave rushes in with anti-Bible and anti-faith messages from manifold sources. Whether it's from television, the Internet, ungodly music or even loved ones, the Nemesis of our souls uses this phonic phenomenon against us.
The solution is to ''block'' these nefarious waves of sound with the spiritually-uplifting vibrations of the Super Scriptures. To incline your ear to God's Word is to create a supernatural interference field against the negative noise seeking to overwhelm you. The implementation of this countermeasure will effectively activate the Super Substance of power-packed faith.
» Romans 10:17
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith comes by hearing what God has said. Faith is activated by the hearing of God's Word. The vibrational energy of ''Word waves'' flowing into your ears causes faith to awaken within the inner man of your spirit. Thus roused, the Super Substance is poised to secure epic victory for you.
» 1 John 5:4
4 ...this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
There are multiple ''radios'' built into the Helmet of Salvation which can transmit the spiritual vibrations of God's Word (see Isaiah 59:17; Ephesians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8). Think of a professional quarterback receiving wireless coaching within his helmet. This pales in comparison to the headset of God's spiritual soldier! There are multiple ways you can incline your ears to the Lord's sayings.
You can hear the Super Scriptures emanating from the pulpit. You can listen to Bible-based and faith-fortifying television, radio and Internet programs. You can play audio teachings, readings of the Word and scripturally-sound music. The best way, though, to utilize the vibrational energy of the Super Scriptures is to hear them flowing from your own mouth. Speak the Word. Quote the Word. Pray the Word. Sing the Word. This is, after all, the shortest route for those super sound waves to travel!
''Let them not depart from thine eyes...'' It's not enough to place the Super Scriptures before your eyes. That is a great first step, but more is required in order to harness their practical power. You must keep them within your sight. You must not let them depart from your eyes.
It's fairly easy to understand the reason why this is crucial to victory and spiritual growth. Consider the constant stream of negative images flowing into our consciousness. Where are they coming from? Everywhere! They are streaming in from every side. In times past television served as the main culprit. But social media has surely taken over the role. (Admittedly, I don't know the official statistics but my observations make me feel reasonably safe in my assessment.) For this reason it is of the utmost importance to mount a visual counterattack. These power-sapping optics must be countered with positive images. And there is no more positive sight than the written Word of the living God before our eyes.
What is this perceptual phenomenon known as sight, anyway? Light produces sight. Light makes vision possible. You can see these words only because of light waves. Take away light and sight goes with it. The result is darkness. The eyes need light in order to fulfill their intended function.
» Psalm 119:105
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Light is more than a purely physical phenomenon. There is a spiritual aspect to it. God is not only the Creator of light; He is light, and ''in him is no darkness at all.'' (1 John 1:5) Light was the subject of God's first recorded utterance (Genesis 1:3). As such, it was the first creation. The Prince of Darkness himself understands the spiritual power of light, using it to deceive. ''...Satan himself is transformed into an angel of LIGHT.'' (2 Corinthians 11:14, emphasis mine) The Bible is the Book of Light. To open it is akin to opening the curtains in a dark room on a sunny day, allowing the sunshine to scatter the darkness. The Super Scriptures will likewise scatter the spiritual darkness on this side of eternity.
When viewed through the scientific lens, light is electromagnetic radiation. This radiation travels in wave form. When this happens, light is produced. At least this is the physical, earthly manifestation of light. As with all natural phenomena, the spiritual version is far superior, having created the physical version. God is the Source of light, and He is Spirit. Physical sight would not exist without physical light. And physical light would not exist without spiritual light. (After all, when the Bible tells us that ''God is light,'' are we to interpret it as ''God is electromagnetic radiation''? Of course not. The light of God is much higher, deeper and more powerful than that!) Even so, this electromagnetic radiation enables our eyes to take in the Super Scriptures of Almighty God - our heavenly Father. By so doing, it serves as an activator of the Super Substance of faith.
Pretty cool, huh?
» SUPER SUMMARY
1.) Faith is the Super Substance. It is the substance of our heavenly hope and it is the substance of every other blessing we hope for along our spiritual journey.
2.) The Super Substance of faith is the sine qua non of our spiritual adventure; it's impossible to please God without it.
3.) Faith is a latent spiritual torch, and it must be activated in order to save the day.
4.) Let the sweet sound of God's sayings penetrate your ears. By so doing, you will position yourself to receive biblical blessings.
5.) To incline your ear to God's Word is to create a supernatural interference field against the negative noise seeking to overwhelm you.
6.) There is no more positive sight than the written Word of the living God before our eyes.
7.) The Bible is the Book of Light. To open it is akin to opening the curtains in a dark room on a sunny day, allowing the sunshine to scatter the darkness.
© Matt Decker
» This post is an excerpted chapter from my book SUPER SCRIPTURES ON EARTH (available as paperback and eBook)
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