The soul of man attempts to imitate faith by seizing a passage of Scripture and declaring it to be true in one's life without going to the Lord to find how to obey the vision. Blind presumption concerning verses of Scripture often is referred to as "faith," but it is in fact a delusion that appeals to and cultivates the self-centeredness of the believer.

The Lord may tell one individual to step out in faith, to arise from his bed of affliction. He may make real to that person the fact that we already have been healed by the lashes of Christ. When the individual obeys the Lord, complete healing takes place.

Some believers may hear of this miracle and tell another sick Christian that he already has been healed "because the Word says so." They then conclude that any Christian who continues to be ill is guilty of unbelief in the Word of God.

This conclusion is not faith, it is presumption. It arises from the love of man for himself coupled with an ignorance of how to obey the Divine vision.

Faith is not a blind statement of the promises of Scripture, declaring that one is healed without having worked out the Divine vision in the Presence of the Lord, in the knowledge of what God is doing in one's life. Such presumption attempts to utilize the things of Christ apart from Christ. It is a self-centered attempt to seize Divine power apart from the Presence of the Lord.

A good illustration of the Lord and man working together to fulfill the vision is presented as follows:

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (James 5:17,18)

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. (I Kings 18:1)

The rains stopped and started according to the prayers of Elijah. But Elijah did not move until God had confirmed the word.

So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, (I Kings 18:42)

Notice that every step in fulfilling the vision had to be accompanied by prayer.

Another facet of our ignorance of how to "obey the vision" is the wresting of the Scriptures that teach that we are dead to the world and risen with Christ. These Scriptures are interpreted to mean that how we behave in the world is not really important because we are dead and our life is hidden with Christ in God. It is a kind of spiritual removal from reality.

To be continued.