May You Have Largeness of Heart as You Train

Learning and growing often involve coming to grips with new ideas which challenge, expand and sometimes even counter previously-held ideas. It requires of the learner that he have largeness of heart to be able to embrace much.

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore.” (1 Kings 4:29)

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those with an openness to learn] for they shall be filled. Blessed are the meek [the humble] for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:6,5). Ask God for largeness of heart and meekness that you may receive all that He wants to give you.

Becoming a Berean
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, to see whether those things WERE SO.” (Acts 17:11, emphasis mine)

I can either try to prove things “so”, or I can try to prove them “not so”. If I try to prove them not so, I have taken the accuser's stance, which, of course, is satan's. As I teach my Christian University students, we must be Bereans.

The Stretching of Growth Generally Produces Temporary Pain
When you begin a new exercise, there is generally some stretching and pain involved as you master it. This should also be true of your education, whether personal or at a theological seminary. You should anticipate stretching to learn and discover new skills, as well as stretching to get more things done in a week, and being stretched financially as you invest in your future development. Do not shy away from this discomfort. Embrace it and seek it out. Make sure you are placing enough demand on your life so that you are indeed stretching and multiplying gifts as the Lord Jesus commanded in the parable of the talents. Know that if you let the stretching process do its work, it will make you a larger person. Let that vision take you courageously through the discomfort you temporarily feel. Seek direction on how to best respond to the stretching in a wise and godly manner.

Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is a Christian University and Online Bible College offering Christian education including Christian counseling and Christian theology seminaries and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various Christian colleges of CLU.

Learning to Use the Eyes of Your Heart

I desire earnestly to live as Jesus did, out of the Father’s initiative, doing only what He saw His Father doing (Jn. 5:19,20; 8:38). However, before I could live that way, I needed first to learn how to become a seer.

I am convinced that the spirit world is there, whether or not I am seeing it. In becoming a seer I am simply learning to see what is. In learning to see, I am learning to bring alive an atrophied sense (i.e., my visionary capacity) and then present it to God to be filled.

Once my visionary sense has been rejuvenated and presented before Almighty God, I am offered the opportunity to live as did Jesus of Nazareth, out of the continuous flow of divine vision.

The Prophets of Israel could simply say, “I looked,” and as they quieted themselves before God, they saw (Dan. 7:2,9;13). I have found that once I have reclaimed the use of my visionary capacity, I too can simply quiet myself in the Lord’s presence, look, and see the visions of Almighty God. I am a “seer” simply because I have become a “looker.”

The Bible says we have not because we ask not. For years I never saw, because I never looked. As I teach people to look, I find that they become seers. This sounds simple, and it is for many, particularly those who are intuitive, spontaneous, and visionary by nature, and who have not allowed the pressure of a culture which idolizes logical, analytical and cognitive functions to cut off their natural, spontaneous openness to vision.

However, for those like myself, who were born naturally logical, analytical and cognitive and have had these inherent leanings reinforced by the rationalism of their culture, seeing the vision of God may not be so easy. Often the intuitive and visionary functions have literally atrophied and died through lack of use; therefore, for these people, the process in not as simple as just “looking” and “seeing.” Even as a muscle which has atrophied through lack of use must be exercised in order to restore its vitality, so must an unused, and thus atrophied, sense be exercised.

This involves three steps:

1. Repenting of the sin of scorning that which God has created,

2. asking God to breathe new life into this inner sense of seeing, and

3. developing this sense which God is restoring.

I began the process of restoration by repenting of my scorn toward my visionary capacity. I asked God’s forgiveness for not honoring and using that which He had created and given me. I also repented of participating in the idolization of logic and analytical thinking which had swept over me, as well as over my culture. I covenanted to honor and seek His ability to flow through vision as much as I had honored and sought His ability to flow through analytical thought.

Then I asked God to breathe upon my visionary capacity and restore it, to bring it back to life and teach me how to allow Him to flow through it.

Now I was ready to take my first few wobbly steps. As I sat in my study seeking God’s face, I was drawn to a scene from John 4 in which Jesus sat by the well and talked with a Samaritan woman. Sensing that God wanted to sit and talk with me, I pictured the scene with a slight adaptation. Instead of seeing the woman talking with Jesus, I saw myself talking with Jesus.

As I peered intently into the picture and looked to see what might happen, it came alive through the Holy Spirit and Jesus moved and gestured, as someone often does when he is talking. With His movement, there came into my heart His words and directives for my life. I sensed God’s voice as spontaneous, good thoughts.

This was the first time I had ever sought for vision in this way, and I was thrilled to see it so readily come alive and be taken over by the power of the Holy Spirit. You see, I had in essence poised myself for the divine flow by setting the scene and then asking God to fill it. I found as I repeated this experiment in subsequent days that God continued to move through these “self-made” scenes, causing them to come alive with His own life and become supernatural visions direct from the throne of grace.

Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is a Christian University and Online Bible College offering Christian education including Christian counseling and Christian theology seminaries and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various Christian colleges of CLU.

Idolatry vs Imagery: Protestantism’s 500-Year-Old Bitter Root Judgment and Inner Vow

I believe that when Protestantism protested and left the Roman Catholic Church, they reacted against Catholicism’s use of imagery. I believe Protestants have held an ungodly belief that “All use of images constitutes a graven image.” Their corresponding inner vow was that they would “Reject all uses of imagery in their Christian lives.” The result is that most Protestant books on systematic Christian theology do not even include a section on dream, vision, imagination, or any other application of the eyes of one’s heart. This is startling considering that the biblical stories and actions which came as a result of dreams and visions form a section of Scripture equal in size to the entire New Testament! Their ungodly belief has given them the right to ignore one-third of the Bible.

Another fruit is that Protestants do not lead in drama, theater or the arts. Protestants have great conservative political think tanks (i.e., a left-brain function), but few great Christian performing or visual arts (i.e., a right-brain function). We need to repent of this ungodly belief and inner vow for ourselves and our forefathers, and receive all that the Bible says is ours.

The Negative Judgment: All use of images constitutes a graven image.

The Inner Vow: Therefore, I will reject all uses of images in my Christian life.

The Result: Many Protestant books on systematic theology do not even include a section on dream, vision, imagination, or any other application of the use of the eyes of one’s heart. This is startling considering that the biblical stories and actions which came as a result of dreams and visions form a section of Scripture equal to the entire New Testament!

On the Positive Side

On the positive side of this question of man's capacity to think visually, I would like to make two points.

1. All of the children and two-thirds of the adults I have polled usually picture Bible scenes as they read them. As we are picturing these Bible stories and praying for a spirit of revelation (Eph. 1:17), God causes the story to come alive and speaks to us out of it. This is essentially the same process we are describing, of setting scenes in our minds and asking God to grant us revelation, then tuning to the flow of the Holy Spirit and watching the scene come alive as God speaks to us. This is something I teach in Christian University classes.

2. One-fourth of the adults I have polled normally picture the scenes of songs when they worship. As God inhabits our praises, the scenes come alive and move with a life generated from the throne of God. Both of these illustrate the very process I am describing.

Man's ability to think visually is currently being used unknowingly by many Christians, particularly those who are intuitive and visionary by nature. In reality, visual thinking is not a new thing. We are just defining and clarifying what has been happening naturally for some. As a result of this clear definition and statement, all believers can now be taught to become more sensitive to the divine flow within us.

Summary: Why Is Using the Eyes of Our Hearts Important?

1. God has commanded us to imagine His Word ("meditate" - Josh. 1:8; I Chron. 29:18).

2. Divine creativity comes through image (Ex. 25:9-22; 35:35).

3. When God reasons, He uses imagery (Is. 1:18).

4. When Jesus taught, He used imagery (Matt. 13:34).

5. As Jesus lived, He ministered out of vision (Jn. 5:19,20).

6. God has declared that one of the primary ways He communicates with us is through dream and vision (Num. 12:6; Acts 2:17).

7. God counsels us through our dreams at night (Ps. 16:7).

8. Sight is better than blindness (Jesus healed the blind - Mk. 10:46-52).

9. The Lord's Supper utilizes imagery ("This is My blood, this is My body, do this in remembrance of Me" - Jn. 6:53,54; I Cor. 11:23-25).

10. Personal transformation occurs while we look into the spiritual realm (II Cor. 3:18; 4:18).

11. Pictures are powerful and produce heart faith (Gen. 15:1,5,6).

12. The Bible is full of pictures, dreams, visions, metaphors, similes, parables, and images (Genesis through Revelation).

13. Our prayers are to be full of imagery (Ps. 23).

14. Our worship is to be full of imagery (Ps. 36:5,6).

Differences Between Idolatry and Setting an Image in One’s Mind

Authorized by:
• IDOLATRY: Man (Ex. 32:1)
• IMAGE: God (Ex. 25:9-22; Col. 1:15; Heb. 12:2)

The Goal:
• IDOLATRY: Worship the idol (Ex. 32:8)
• IMAGE: Never worship the image; use the image as stepping stone into divine flow (Rev. 4:1)

The Action:
• IDOLATRY: The idol remains dead (Is. 44:19)
• IMAGE: Divine flow is prompted (Rev. 4:2)

The Prayer:
• IDOLATRY: Pray to the idol (Is. 44:17)
• IMAGE: Never pray to the image; as divine flow is activated, communication with God is established (Rev. 4 - 22)

The Purpose:
• IDOLATRY: To worship the thing (Is. 44:15)
• IMAGE: To focus one’s heart before God (II Cor. 3:18; 4:18)

The Attitude of the Heart:
• IDOLATRY: Stiff-necked; proud (Ex. 32:9)
• IMAGE: Seeking God humbly (Prov. 2:1-5)

The Control Issue:
• IDOLATRY: Manipulating God; magic
(I Kings 22:20-23)
• IMAGE: Watching God in action; Christianity (Rev. 4 - 22)

Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is a Christian University and Online Bible College offering Christian education including Christian counseling and Christian theology seminaries and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various Christian colleges of CLU.

How to Receive Revelation Knowledge

An example of revelation knowledge is when you are reading the Bible and a verse leaps off the page, hits you between the eyes, and God says, “This is for you right now.” These are precious experiences for the believer. However, for many, they do not happen often enough.

There are seven things I do which allow me the privilege of receiving revelation knowledge every time I read the Bible. Truth and insights leap off the page and an understanding of how they are to adjust my life permeates my spirit and soul. I love this experience and hunger for it every time I read the Scriptures. That is why I prepare myself by doing the following seven things. I also teach these seven things at a Christian University to the students in the theological seminary. Prayerfully reflect on these steps and determine which ones you do and don’t use.

Biblical Meditation
Resulting in illumination, revelation knowledge, anointed reasoning
Do Not Do This:
Left-brain
Study/Rational Humanism
1. Have unconfessed sin
2. Have a pre-conceived attitude
3. Be independent: “I can...”
4. Read quickly
5. Rely on reason & analysis only
6. Read without specific purpose
7. Take credit for insights

But Do This:
Whole-brain/Heart
Meditation/Divine Revelation
1. Be washed by Jesus’ blood
2. Have a teachable attitude
3. Pray: “Lord, show me”
4. Slow down, ponder, muse
5. Combine anointed reason, flowing pictures, music & speech
6. Read with focused purpose
7. Glorify God for insights

The Seven Steps of Biblical Meditation Explained:
1. Lord, cleanse me by Your blood: Since receiving divine revelation is at the heart of biblical meditation, you must prepare yourself to receive from the Holy Spirit by repenting and being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. You must be obedient to previous revelations from God (Matt. 7:6), and confess any sin in your life, so you are not cut off from ongoing revelation (Is. 59:1,2; I Jn. 1:9).

2. Lord, grant me a teachable attitude: Revelation is given to those who maintain an attitude of humility, and it is withheld from the proud and the arrogant. So keep an open, humble attitude before God, allowing Him the freedom to shed greater light on any ideas you currently hold and to alter them as He sees fit (Jas. 4:6; II Pet. 1:19).

3. Lord, I will not use my faculties myself: You can do nothing of your own initiative but only what you hear and see by the Spirit (Jn. 5:19,20,30). You do not have a mind to use, but a mind to present to God so He can use it and fill it with anointed reason and divine vision (Prov. 3:5-7; Rom. 12:1,2). If you use your mind yourself, it is a dead work (Heb. 6:1,2).

4. Lord, I pray that the eyes of my heart might be enlightened: Slow down as you read, mulling the text over and over in your heart and mind, praying constantly for God to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Eph. 1:17,18; Ps. 119:18).

5. Lord, I present the abilities to reason and to imagine to You to fill and flow through by Your Spirit: Meditation involves presenting your faculties to God for Him to fill and use. These include your left-brain reasoning capacities as well as your right-brain visual capacities. Look for the river of God (i.e. “Spirit flow”) to guide and fill both hemispheres, granting you anointed reasoning and dream and vision (Jn. 7:37-39). Music can assist you, as can muttering, speaking, and writing as you go through the discovery process (II Kings 3:15).

6. Lord, show me the solution to the problem I am facing: Focused attention brings additional energies of concentration of heart and mind, which help release revelation. For example, note the difference between a ray of sunlight hitting a piece of paper, and sunlight going through a magnifying glass to hit a piece of paper. The focused energy creates a ray so concentrated that the paper bursts into flames. When you have a hunger to master a new understanding and discipline, that hungry and searching heart will cause you to see things you would not normally see (Matt. 5:6).

7. Thank You, Lord, for what You have shown me: Realizing that the revelation came from the indwelling Holy Spirit, give all the glory to God for what has been revealed (Eph. 3:21).

Another Great Aid to “Seeing”: Writing Out Scripture
When you write or type out a verse, you discover words which you otherwise might have missed. Therefore, I write out verses which I know are key truths for my life. I pray over them, diagram them, analyze them, and meditate on them. That is why I have written many of my books. I write so I can learn, so I can put truths I am understanding in my own words and in a framework which is meaningful for me.

The following is the law which God gave for new kings who had just been crowned and were coming to sit upon their throne for the first time:

“Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests” (Deut. 17:18).

Since we are kings and priests, are we to do any less (I Pet 2:9)? Let us make the writing out of Scriptures an important part of our lives.

Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is a Christian University and Online Bible College offering Christian education including Christian counseling and Christian theology seminaries and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various Christian colleges of CLU.