This morning I was pondering Darlene Cunningham’s teaching on the belief tree. Somehow the visual image of the massive and magical tree in the Avatar movie got stuck in my head.
When I think about Avatar’s “belief” tree, I disagree with their worldview, yet I ponder the idea of life within that tree. It was worth defending.
Do we know Jesus is our Tree of Life? Lies that remain in our brain acts just like those bulldozers and men in Avatar digging and trying to uproot the space that doesn’t belong to them. If it took a community to “defend” that tree in the Avatar movie, it also takes a Holy Spirit infused community to defend and believe what God has promised to us individually and corporately.
Our work is to believe and follow Jesus. He leads the charge not necessarily with physical weapons, but with truth and righteousness. Our acts of service don’t corner the most difficult frontier; it’s the inner battle within us, wrong beliefs that cut and bleed us or the people around us. What you believe about God determines how the kingdom appears now and in the future. Belief in the unfailing love that never disappears, never lacks power, and never abandons is the actual currency in this kingdom. If you trust in Jesus’ unfailing love, remember that the Holy Spirit and the Father are included in that belief. Your concepts about the Father and whether the Holy Spirit is with you will influence your choices. Is it complicated? Just imagine that the enemy loses power when we recognize a tiny being with a megaphone behind the curtain, controlling us with fear and intimidation. That is a reference to the Wizard of Oz. It is also a reference to the final status of the “bulldozer” in our minds.
I’m imagining with faith the kingdom of God here now, by acknowledging His promises is being fulfilled now and in the future. I’m imagining all promises fulfilled like this verse below, and that creates the framework where the intimidator loses his power over my brain: Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. Hebrews 11:10
