Leon Fontaine - Believing What You Can't See
There's a real confusion today amongst so many of the body of Christ. About a topic called, faith. The Bible says that, we'd better understand it because the only way to overcome the things of this world as a believer in Christ, a follower of Jesus, is by our faith. There's been an awakening over the decades of, faith. Of course, for every mile of truth, there's two miles of ditch. And so we have people who don't understand it, trying to deny sickness or deny the poverty or deny the things they're dealing with. So many feel like faith is, just saying what's not true and if you say it enough, maybe God will do it for you. And of course, that's not going to fly because your heart knows what is truth and what isn't truth.
There's a story in the Old Testament, a true story about a prophet named Elisha that sheds amazing light on how you can walk on this planet and see the remarkable things the Bible has promised you and I. Because of the confusion that exists in the body of Christ, many people have become what I call, humanistic Christians. They just see the Bible as some kind of psychological relief, they believe we're going to go to heaven, they really don't believe that there is some kind of power outside of the human experience that does anything, and that it's made-up, it's just hyper emotions. In 2 Kings 6:14-17, an amazing prophet named Elisha.
Now in this story, the king of Syria is trying to kill and to take captive God's people. He would plan his attacks, and then Elisha would send word to the king of Israel, saying Syria is coming through this valley at this time, and they're going to try to attack with this strategy. He would know exactly by the Spirit of God, the attack of their enemy. Not once, not twice, but the Bible says several times, this evil king kept trying to attack God's people and every time, they thwarted him. Destroyed the soldiers. The king of Syria was some ticked off, I tell you, as he began to realize and he called his generals together and those that would work with him on the war plans, and he said, one of you is a spy. Who keeps telling the king of Israel, my plans?
Someone was about to die on his staff, and back then kings had a lot of authority so one spoke up pretty quick and said, oh king. It is the prophet Elisha who is giving wisdom to his king. He knows what you say, even in your bedroom. They convinced the king of Syria, that the prophet was at fault. So they changed their battle tactics. And he sent his massive army to surround a town. The next morning, Elisha's help, his servant, woke up, looks out, and the town is surrounded by a great national army of the king of Syria. It is so over-encompassing, so huge, it's overkill to come at this little town.
As Elisha joins him, his servant looks at him and he goes, oh no! Look at this army. 'Fraid, I mean scared, back then when you lost, they killed you. Elisha looks at his servant and says this line. He is, he says there is more with us, than there is with them. The servant looks around and goes, are you kidding me? This is a little town. That's a nation's army on one little town. Prophet Elisha says God, open his eyes. His eyes were opened, and it says that the skies, 360 degrees around, was filled with chariots of fire, horses, angels, and it was greater and more in number than the king of Syria's entire army.
This is a very important story. Every story in the Bible has a teaching point to teach us. They are often types and shadows for us to understand, the New Covenant that we have today. I want you to notice, Elisha's eyes were not opened. He did not see those angels and chariots of fire with his eyeballs. He didn't hear them with his physical ears or his physical eyes, he didn't smell them in the wind with his physical nose. He had a sixth sense. This sixth sense is called faith. It is a trusting, a knowing, a believing in God. He didn't need his eyes, his physical eyes opened. So God didn't open his physical eyes. He opened the servant's physical eyes. And then he was in awe at the help that was there.
Faith, according to the New Covenant, and this is a New Covenant reality. Is to believe in what is done. To believe what has already been given. The unseen world is real. You and I today, believe in the unseen even when we're not believers. I'm speaking into a mic that is not attached to any cord. It's going into a trailer, and it's not attached to your car. But there's some unseen force bringing my voice to this parking lot. It's bringing my voice to this world. It's bringing my voice to country after country, and there's nothing that you can see. There are sound waves, there are radio waves, there are microwaves that can't be seen yet you all believe in them. There are gems you believe in, viruses you believe in. There are atoms, there are subatomic particles and everybody here, believes in them. Why do you find it so hard that a child of God believes and knows the truth that in the unseen world of the spirit, is an angelic army that is here for you?
In the unseen world of the spirit, a price has been paid for the healing of the body. That in the unseen world, the spirit world, is a peace and a joy that passes anything that is in the seen world. Faith, declares a New Testament reality. Faith declares what is real in the spirit realm, and then we learn to cross this divide and our faith makes reality what's been done in the spirit realm comes over into this physical realm. So you've gonna have to make a decision. Are you going to look at only the physical world, and believe that this is reality? Or are you going to be able to look at the spiritual world, and recognize that that is even more real.
Let me give you a very simple definition. When you begin to focus on the Word of God, it is your mirror to the real you, or the spirit-man. The only way you are going to see your spirit, is in the mirror of the Bible. The book of James teaches us, that the Bible is a mirror. And that it is what reflects back to you what you look like in the spirit realm. This is why reading the Bible is absolutely crucial. This is why, as you an I look into the Word of God, we see who we are. And if you stop spending time in the Word, if you stop getting out to a life-giving church, you begin to get your mind focused on only the physical world, the five senses, your abilities that you have in your physical body, and in your mind, and you completely shut down all of the incredible power that is in your spirit.
So to be spiritually minded, it says this way in another translation. To set your mind on the things of the spirit, which is only explained in the Bible as your mirror, is where you're going to find this life, this miracles and health and joy and peace and wisdom, prosperity and blessing, until the world looks at us and sees the goodness of God in your life. And then wants what you have. The Bible says in the book of Psalms 92, that whoever is planted in the house of God will flourish. You'll flourish like a palm tree, by rivers. In other words, you are keeping your focus on the things of the spirit. As I look into the Bible, I begin to discover who Leon is. As I look into the Bible, I begin to arm myself with His peace and His joy. There is no way that your mind and your emotions are going to stay healthy as a Christian if you do not get help from the spirit of God.
Well say Leon, I've been asking Him. It's not in the asking. It is the Word of God that begins to show you who you are. The Bible says in Romans 10:17, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Another words, as you look into the Word, as you look to the cross and how that Jesus became a curse for you. How He took all your sins. He paid the price. He's done this so that you can be alive in the spirit. But when Jesus came into your spirit-man, it was sealed. You can't dirty it, you can't even do something wrong and compromise that. You and God are cool because it is the spirit. Your spirit, that is made alive with the live of God. Now, you are to renew your mind and you are to make your body a living sacrifice. And all the power to do that, is in your spirit.
How do you get this power from you, the spirit, to flow into this earth suit on this earth? You see, you are not your earth suit. You are not your human body. All of us, have had loved ones die. And we either have those bodies buried or we have them burned, and that person is still very much alive. That person, is still thriving in a place called heaven if they gave their life to Jesus Christ. So, we've got to stop thinking that we are only human. How many times do you hear Christians say well, come on. We're only human. No you're not. If you've given your life to Jesus Christ, then you are a new creation. This new creation is as never before. Yes, you have a physical body.
Now, let's talk about faith for a minute. We teach people to take the Word of God to meditate on it, and to declare what it says. So the Bible says, by whose stripes we were healed. Or we have been healed. So when we look at healing as an example, and a person whose physical body is sick, and dying, and they begin to say with their mouth and they say, I believe I am healed. Healing is mine. It is a done deal, thank You Father. We're not denying that sickness in one-third of my being, being my body. If I'm struggling with mental things, and we begin to take His Word and declare that the peace of God is mine. I have not the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
People say well, you don't. You're the most afraid thing I've ever seen. I've never seen anybody so filled with terror. Why are you lying, and saying you are something when you're not? I'll tell you why. Because my physical body, and this mind is not the only me. I am a three-part being, and in this spirit-man is the life of God. The peace of God. The joy of God. The healing of God. The confidence of God. The faith of God. Everything that I'm ever going to need in 2 Peter 1:1-4 has already been given to me. I've got a shocking statement to make for all you people. And that is that, God is not the one deciding if your prayers get answered. He's not looking at you waiting for you to move some kind of weird little force called faith which is denying reality, and when He sees you work it enough, He'll go oh your faith is high enough and give it to you. No.
The Bible says, in 2 Peter 1:1-4, that grace and peace are magnified in our life through knowing Jesus, because this Jesus is in you. Galatians 2:20 says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet, not I, but it is Christ that lives in me. And the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who gave Himself for me. Who loved me. I've been given Jesus' faith. I've been given every answer to my prayers. It has been placed in my spirit-man, so when I get up and side with my spirit and say, I walk in health. And it is mine in the name of Jesus. And, my body is sick, and it's not listening. I am going to stay declaring because life and death are in the power of the tongue. You can declare what's going on in your body, you can declare what's going on in your mind, or you can declare what's going on in your spirit. Which is alive with the life of God. Who am I? I'm the healed. Who am I? I'm the prosperous. Who am I? I'm the joyful, the happy, the peaceful, I am the confident.
Say well Leon, you're not. And in fact most of the things you just said, I can't even see going on in your life right now. Well, you're wrong. Because the five senses you have looking at me does not show you what is going on in my spirit-man. And the Bible says to be spiritually minded, I set my mind on the things of the spirit. I'm not setting my mind on the things of the flesh. I know there's a disease there, if that's what you're dealing with .i know there's a depressing that seems to own me right now. I know that I'm walking through a poverty. So I'm doing everything I can, in the physical. But are you doing everything in the spirit realm? Because if you're only doing physical answers, then your mind is set on the things of the flesh, which is your five senses. But my eyes, my mind, needs to be set on the things of the spirit. How do you do that? You get into God's Word. You begin to focus on the Word of God, and the spirit of God begins to show you what God's Word says about you.
So what is your identity? What is your identity? Well, first of all you're not a body because your body's going to die. You're not a soul, although you are of all three. Who you are is a spirit, your soul is wrapped in spirit. You're made in the likeness and the image of God. So while you identify with all your problems and all your failures and all your losses and all your heartaches and hurts, you may as well go watch all the sad movies and listen to Country and Western. Then he goes, everything's going down. Or, you can side with the Word of God.
Now, the Word of God recognizes you must make your body a living sacrifice. And He gives you the power to do it. You need to renew your mind to new thinking, new beliefs. We have an enemy. He's after your beliefs. He can't make you sick. He can't steal your life. All he can do is begin to fire thoughts at you, and try to begin to influence what you think, what you think about, what you believe. And, when you can't control your emotions, he's having a hay day in your life. Because sin is conceived in the emotions. He's trying to get your mind which needs to stay being renewed every day in the Word of God. He's going to try to get it thinking about how lonely you are, how bad it is, how life sucks, how things aren't going good. And, as you can keep your mind focused on the things of this life and the five senses, he will whip you every time. He will control your thinking. Then he's going to control your believing, and these beliefs drop into your heart. And they begin to control the auto-pilot of your life.
I'm challenging somebody who's listening to me today, who keeps blaming God. God, why didn't you do this? God, why did you allow that? God, it's not even up to Him anymore as to what is allowed and what not is allowed. Now we know He controls the timeframe of this earth. That Satan's time will be up. That the enemy's never going to overrun us all. So there are some things prophesied in the Word that are controlled on this planet by God. But your individual life, the decisions you make as a sovereign being, because you are. You have to decide. Jesus is teaching you and I. I give you the keys to the Kingdom. What are you going to allow? You're going to allow. What are you going to let go? You're going to let go. And most of us have no clue as to the forces and the principles of the spirit to begin to change the things that are going on in our physical world.
My challenge to you, is that the only hope you have is the Word, the Word is the mirror. And when you don't spend time in the Word, you do not know what you look like as a born-again believer, as a new creation. The Bible says, you are an overcomer, that you are born of God. That you are the head and not the tail. You are above, and not beneath. That everything bows to the name of Jesus. I hope, that whatever has gone on in these last couple of months, will wake up the mighty man that is inside of you. The mighty man that is inside of you is not your five senses and your physical skills and your physical prowess, your talented body and your brilliant mind and your good-looking face. Thank God for that, no, no, no. I'm talking about waking up the mighty man Ephesians says, which is you seeing the real you in the mirror of God's Word.
Why would you get up and look at your physical face in the mirror, put all your make-up on, comb your hair just right, get your suit and your tie on guys, and launch out into a crazy world that has got a spirit realm that is literally influencing everything, there's a battle everywhere. Why wouldn't you first look into the mirror of God's Word and see whose you are, and who you are, and get up and walk into a place dominating the forces of darkness, knowing who you are, and walking easily in a world where who you are in Christ dominates and controls out anything the enemy would try to do in your world.