Heb 10:22: Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Last week Jesus helped you see that you had to have a sincere heart. But, not only do you have to be sincere about your part of your problems with spending, you must have faith to believe God can and WILL give you healing from it.

In full assurance of faith: Faith is huge with God; first, He requires that you believe He exists and second that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). If you are going to draw near to God and start getting healed from your issues with spending, your faith that God exists and He rewards must already be settled in your heart. Obviously you won’t be able to call on God or expect to get His help, if you don’t believe He exists. But, the next one is just as important; you have to believe that if you pursue getting to know Him or seek help from Him, He will reward your efforts; can you see why that would be important?

Once Jesus empowers you to know (believe) that God exists and gives you the ability to know (be convinced through faith) that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, you will be able know for a fact that He is going to respond to you in intense love, grace, and mercy. You will be able to base your life on the fact of truth that all of your sincere, earnest seeking of God and His provisions are going to pay off in a God-sized way.

Jesus will be working on this faith issue on a regular basis. This is because all your results will be coming through faith and love. Love is the language God uses to communicate back and forth with you. Faith is your proof or evidence that what God is telling you in those conversations is true. Both faith and love deal with the honesty and integrity of God. They are the basis for you being willing to open up and put your heart (emotions), soul (life), mind (reasoning), and strength (will) under His influence. Why would you trust Him with the most valuable things you have? Because you KNOW (believe through faith) He loves you and will only do the very best for you and those around you.

Since your heart isn’t logical, it has two main problems with faith; it doesn’t change easily; and, it doesn’t respond to reasoning and logic. None of us started out believing or trusting in God. That lack of faith sent a message to our heart that it shouldn’t trust Him; so it doesn’t. Since your mind is logical and your heart isn’t, there are two aspects to these studies. One aspect explains things to your mind and teaches it truth; that is done in the textbook. The other speaks power into your heart; that is done through the prayers in the workbook. When you pray, Jesus works on your heart and it gets blessed, healed, and transformed; then you will start FEELING better.

Heb 4:12 For the Word of God is alive and powerful. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The word “judges” here is talking about an evaluation of your heart. This Bible judging or evaluating brings heart damage, bad belief systems, wrong philosophies, world training, and many other emotion generating concepts to the surface for you to allow Jesus to heal.

The power of the Word of God will only work through your faith. Your heart will only get healing, if you are able to combine faith with your reading the Bible. Heb 4:2 (NIV) For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, BECAUSE those who heard DID NOT combine it with faith. Jesus wants to fill your heart with His faith so it can be healed. Heb 12:2a (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

Just like the delays in getting your healing from your struggles with spending can damage your joy, so can these delays hurt your faith. In most cases, these kinds of problems require a tremendous battle against your body, the world, and the devil. You will need a faith that can endure all during the battle. That is why you need Jesus’ faith rather than your human faith.

The first thing you need is to allow Jesus to use these Scriptures to start reasoning with your mind; it must be convinced (given faith) through Scriptures that you WILL win the battle. Rom 8:18 (NIV) I consider (am convinced in my mind through Bible truths) that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Your mind has to analyze the battle with spending issues and DECIDE that the battle is worth the effort; your mind has to be convinced that Jesus WILL come through for you. Then when you pray, your heart will start to believe that Jesus WILL come through for you. Your mind will have Biblical reasons to believe; and, your heart will feel Jesus’ faith that empowers it to believe.

Second, the way your heart will feel Jesus’ faith that empowers it to believe is, Jesus speaks faith into it as you pray. Rom 10:17 (AKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Jesus has to speak faith into your heart in order for you to be able to believe and trust in the healing, delivering power of your heavenly Father. Pray and ask Jesus to speak faith into your heart so you will be able trust God.

The third thing you need is to get your mouth to start confessing the truth of God’s Word. Rom 10:9-10 (NIV) That if you confess with your MOUTH, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your HEART that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your HEART that you believe and are justified, and it is with your MOUTH that you confess and are saved. This Biblical system of confessing with your MOUTH and believing in your HEART starts with salvation and flows throughout the rest of your life. Rom 10:8 (NIV) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your MOUTH and in your HEART,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming.

The fourth thing you need is for the EYES of your heart to start to see the reality of God’s truth. Eph 1:18-19a (NIV) I PRAY also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened IN ORDER THAT you may KNOW the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power FOR US WHO BELIEVE. The more you can see the HOPE, the RICHES, and the POWER, the more your heart will FEEL great faith in God.

In order for you to win over your struggles with spending, you will have to have a prize set in front of you. 1 Cor 9:24-27 (NIV) Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the PRIZE? Run in such a way as to GET the PRIZE. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a CROWN that will not last; but we do it to get a CROWN that will last forever. If you can see through the eyes of your heart the life of Victorious Christian Living, it will empower you to press on.

Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave SO THAT after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the PRIZE.

Gal 6:9 (NIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. The prize, the reward, the crown, or the success for your efforts is what motivates you to keep seeking God and all He has to offer. You have to be so motivated by God that you are empowered to keep Satan from convincing you that the solutions are never going to happen. You also have to be so motivated by God that He keeps you from getting tired of fighting for the prize of freedom, success, and victory.

If the prize is getting free from spending issues, then you will find yourself getting tired of the fight. Satan will try to discourage you concerning how long it is taking. He will try to crowd out your times of study and prayer. He will cause you to focus on how hard it seems to be. He will try to make the studies seem to be too complicated. He will try to make you think you aren’t getting anything out of all this. But, if the prize is growing in your relationship with your heavenly Father, then the rewards of that relationship with keep your life filled with faith and passion for THAT goal; AND THAT will bring healing to your problems with spending.

Heb 10:22: Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Mark 7:6 (NIV) He (Jesus) replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Your heart still wants God to fix the problems you are having in your life the way you think they should be fixed. Your heart still has faith in your abilities and the world systems to fix things. It has just moved from human effort on its own to human effort in Christianity. It “believes” that trying real hard, doing your best, determining, and learning from your mistakes will eventually get God to solve your problems.

You will need to be exposed to six things that make Christianity work on a regular basis. In order for you to submit your emotions to Jesus, you will have to give up human effort and accept The Six Biblical Principles. You must go from faith in your abilities, talents, world training, skills, and past “successes” to faith in God’s methods, systems, and principles. Desiring, studying, praying, believing, loving, and taking faith-action are your NEW way of succeeding in life. These six things draw your attention away from your abilities, talents, world training, skills, and past “successes” to faith in God’s abilities, talents, power, skills, and successes.

Heb 12:2a (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. This faith from Jesus gives your heart the “full assurance” that the prize is real, wonderful, and available. Your goal isn’t to produce faith; you aren’t being asked to believe with your own faith. Your goal is to GET faith; if you want faith, you will need to “fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith.” Author of your faith means that Jesus is the originator of it. He is the One Who creates it in you so you can believe or have the full assurance.

Having your heart sprinkled: The blood of Jesus was shed on the cross for your salvation AND your sanctification (spiritual growth). These two things are making all the miracles of God available to you. Your heart has been sprinkled with the powerful blood of Jesus making it POSSIBLE for it to be changed. Your heart is who you are right now; your mind is starting to reason out new Biblical facts so you can improve. It is setting up who you will be in your future. Because your heart is who you are now and your mind is who you will be, God doesn’t change them immediately. He has given you a free will; and, He is honoring that free will by waiting for you to give Him permission to change your heart and mind; that is what The Six Biblical Principles are about.

Mat 28:19 (NIV) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Make sure you understand what water baptism is all about. AND, make sure you have been baptized in water. It is a part of your testamony as to who you are and what you believe.

When you are submerged down into the water, you are demonstrating that you are dead to your old way of life. When you are raised up out of the water, you are illustrating that you are now ready to live a whole new life; that involves spiritual growth (sanctification). Spiritual growth training (sanctification) deals with the fact that only the power of the blood of Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Word of God are going to bring about an effective change. Only these three things are able to change who you are and what you do.

When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the cleansing blood of Jesus made it possible for the Holy Spirit to come and reside inside you. He now lives inside you and communicates with you Spirit to spirit. He is your hope for a changed heart; He can talk to your heart with the love language your heart will be able to understand. By the Holy Spirit coming and living inside you, He has been able to bring about change in your life from the inside out; He is your power to change.

Rom 8:5 (NIV) Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature DESIRES; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit DESIRES. The only changes the Holy Spirit has made in you have been those changes you have DESIRED, STUDIED about, PRAYED for, BELIEVED have changed, LOVED to share with others, and taken FAITH-ACTION on. He COULD do a lot more; but, you haven’t “done what it takes” yet.

2 Tim 2:15 (AKJV) STUDY to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. John 16:13 (NIV) But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. The reason you have tried to solve your problems with spending using human effort and world training is because that was all you knew. But, NOW you are studying the most powerful, dynamic, and supernatural systems in all the universe. You can expect to get results because the Holy Spirit is helping you study truth that sets you free from your struggles with spending.

This is teaching you the importance of trading human effort for prayer: James 4:1-2 (NIV) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. This is teaching you a better way: Rom 8:26-27 (NIV) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He Who searches our HEARTS [our heavenly Father] knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

You have been taught by your body, through world training, and through satanic temptation that you have to be willing to fight for your rights. If you want something, you have to decide, commit, believe in yourself, and make it happen. But, the moment you start on that path, you meet people who are doing the same thing; AND, they are after what you are after. But, if you PRAY and ask God, He will provide those things you need for winning over your issues with spending. Trying real hard won’t do it; but, PRAYING to God will.

Mark 11:24 (AKJV) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you DESIRE, when you PRAY, BELIEVE that you receive them, and you shall have them. Your heart already has a belief system; just because you got saved doesn’t mean God TOOK OVER your mind and heart. God just set them free so you can now start thinking and feeling new ones. Phil 4:19 (NIV) And my God WILL meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Jesus is building faith in you that completely trusts, relies, depends, and BELIEVES in the honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness of your heavenly Father.

Luke 6:38 (NIV) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Rom 5:5 (NIV) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out HIS LOVE into our HEARTS by the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us. You have been born again; so, share the procedures and your successes through salvation with those around you. As you learn how and get breakthoughs in your life, share how to get breakthroughs with those around you. This is a HUGE principle; one of the reasons you are still struggling with spending may be because you aren’t sharing the breakthroughs you already have with others.

James 2:17 (NIV) In the same way, FAITH by itself, if it is not accompanied by ACTION, is dead. Acts 1:8 (NIV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Once the first five principles have been fulfilled, the Holy Spirit gives you Jesus’ power. And, Jesus starts knocking on the door of your heart and offers to join you in LIVING out the thing that you have “done what it takes” to get. That thing you have DESIRED, STUDIED about, PRAYED for, He gave you faith to BELIEVE you have, you are demonstrating your LOVE by sharing with others, and are ready to take FAITH-ACTION on, He is ready to join you in living.