Kingdom Faith #4 Calling Those Things That Are Not As Though They Were
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Discover why calling those things that are not as though they were is not wishful thinking but the biblical key to walking in your full kingdom inheritance.
Description
Kingdom Faith Overview
In this fourth installment of the Kingdom Faith series, the pastor opens with a foundational challenge: most Christians have already been given everything they need, yet they live as if the cross accomplished nothing. Drawing from Genesis 32, the story of Jacob wrestling with God serves as a mirror for believers who beg for blessings they already possess. Just as God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, meaning a prince with God, so every born-again believer has been made a king and priest through the blood of Jesus Christ. The message weaves through Romans 8:16-17, Revelation 1:5-6, Revelation 5:10, and 2 Peter 1:2-4 to establish that all things pertaining to life and godliness have already been given. The central thrust is the biblical principle of calling those things that are not as though they were, grounded in how God renamed Abram to Abraham before a single child was born. Using Psalm 91, Hebrews 13:15, and the story of the woman with the issue of blood, the pastor demonstrates that faith is voice-activated, that confession in the Greek means saying the same thing God says, and that the key to walking in divine inheritance is persistent, bold declaration of what God has already promised.
Kingdom Faith Outline
- 00:00 – Opening Prayer and Kingdom Faith Series Introduction: The pastor opens in prayer, lays hands on a church member facing surgery, and introduces this fourth message in the Kingdom Faith series centered on calling those things that are not as though they were.
- 06:30 – Jacob the Heel Grabber Versus Israel the Prince: An expository look at Genesis 32:24-28 reveals how Jacob already held the birthright but did not comprehend it, mirroring Christians who beg God for blessings they already own.
- 14:00 – You Have Been Made a King and Priest: Revelation 1:5-6 and Revelation 5:10 are unpacked to show that Jesus has already made every believer a king and priest called to reign on earth, not merely survive it.
- 21:00 – All Things Already Given Through His Divine Power: Second Peter 1:2-4 establishes that God’s divine power has granted believers all things pertaining to life and godliness, making further begging theologically unnecessary.
- 28:30 – Abraham Called Those Things That Were Not: Romans 4:13, 16-18 traces how God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and how speaking the name of promise triggered the fulfillment of fathering many nations.
- 36:00 – Faith Is Voice-Activated: Drawing from Romans 10:9-10, Hebrews 3:1, and the Greek word homologya, the pastor explains that confession means saying the same thing God says, and that speaking the Word activates God’s response.
- 43:00 – Psalm 91 and the Power of Declaring God’s Names: Moses declaring Psalm 91 to Israel leaving Egypt illustrates how staking a claim through verbal declaration of God as refuge, fortress, and healer activates divine protection and provision.
- 50:30 – The Continual Sacrifice of Praise and Final Exhortation: Hebrews 13:15 in three translations closes the message, calling believers to continually offer the fruit of lips that confess and proclaim allegiance to God’s name as the crowning act of kingdom faith.
Scripture References
Genesis 32:24-28, Revelation 1:5-6, Revelation 5:10, Romans 8:16-17, 2 Peter 1:2-4, Romans 4:13, Romans 4:16-18, Hebrews 11:3, Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 13:15, James 3:1, John 1:1-3, John 5:4, 1 Corinthians 3:18, Psalm 91:1-8, Isaiah 55, Luke 17:6, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Key Takeaways
- Every born-again believer has already been made a king and priest by the blood of Jesus Christ and is called to reign on earth right now, not in some future dispensation.
- God’s divine power has already granted believers all things that pertain to life and godliness, which means begging God for what He has already provided is both unnecessary and unproductive.
- Faith is voice-activated: just as God said and then saw in Genesis 1, believers must first speak what God has declared before they can expect to see it manifest in their lives.
- The biblical word for confession, homologya in Greek, literally means to say the same thing as God says, and this agreement with God’s Word is what releases the inheritance into daily experience.
- Changing what you declare changes what you receive, as demonstrated by God renaming both Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel at the precise moment their spoken identity needed to align with their divine inheritance.
- Psalm 91 is a model of kingdom confession given by Moses to former slaves, showing that dwelling in the secret place of the Most High is inseparable from saying of the Lord that He is refuge, fortress, and God.
- The woman with the issue of blood demonstrates that one act of faith-filled declaration followed by corresponding action is more powerful than a lifetime of passive hoping or religious performance.
Kingdom Faith Notes
Calling Things That Are Not
The central teaching of this message is rooted in Romans 4:17, where God is described as the one who calls those things which do not exist as though they did. The pastor establishes that this is not positive thinking or denial of reality but rather the operating principle of the kingdom. Believers are created in God’s image and likeness, which means they are designed to function the same way. Rather than declaring what they currently see, feel, or experience, they are called to declare what God has already spoken over their lives, allowing the invisible reality of the kingdom to become visible in the natural realm.
Abraham’s Name Change as a Blueprint
The story of Abram becoming Abraham in Genesis 17 provides the clearest biblical blueprint for this principle. God changed his name to father of a multitude before a single child was born, when both Abraham and Sarah were physically past the age of childbearing. The pastor notes that within a year of Abraham beginning to declare his new name and identity, Isaac was born. This is not coincidence but divine law: when the mouth aligns with the promise of God, the promise accelerates toward fulfillment. Every Christian has been given a new name and identity in Christ, and speaking that identity out loud is how the inheritance becomes personal.
Jacob’s Unrecognized Inheritance
The wrestling match in Genesis 32 is used as a pastoral illustration of the average Christian experience. Jacob already possessed the firstborn blessing and the inheritance, yet he was still striving and grasping for something he did not realize he owned. God’s response was not to give Jacob more but to change his name from heel grabber to Israel, prince with God, so that every time someone called his name he was reminded of who he already was. The pastor draws a direct parallel: most believers live under the Jacob mentality, perpetually begging for blessings already secured at the cross, when what they need is a revelation of their covenant name and identity.
Praise as a Kingdom Weapon
Hebrews 13:15 is cited in three translations to show that the sacrifice of praise is not merely emotional worship but a strategic act of kingdom declaration. The pastor connects this to the Hebrew names of God, including Jehovah Rapha, El Shaddai, and Jehovah Nissi, explaining that praising God by His covenant names is the practical expression of calling those things that are not as though they were. When a believer declares that God is their healer, provider, and fortress, they are feeding God with His own Word in a sense, and He activates in response. Praise is therefore both an act of worship and the mechanism by which divine inheritance is released.
Overcoming the Spectator Mentality
One of the most challenging applications in the message is the distinction between fans, spectators, and those on the losing side. The pastor observes that many churchgoers are spectators who have no real stake in the outcome of what God is doing. They attend services but never personally declare God’s promises over their own lives, never confess His Word as their own, and consequently never see the manifestation of the inheritance. Moving from spectator to active participant requires one thing: opening the mouth and saying what God says, consistently and persistently, until the heart fully believes it and the life begins to produce it.
Escaping Corruption Through Promise
Second Peter 1:2-4 rounds out the theological argument by showing that partaking of the exceedingly great and precious promises is not only how believers receive provision and healing but also how they escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. The pastor explains that when a believer truly understands that all things have been given, the grasping and striving that characterized fallen human nature loses its power. The spirit of mammon, the fear of lack, and the drive to accumulate by force or cunning all dissolve when a person genuinely believes they are joint heirs with Christ and that the Father who gave His only Son will freely give all things.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does calling those things that are not as though they were mean in the Bible?
Romans 4:17 describes God as one who calls those things which do not exist as though they did, and Abraham followed this same principle by declaring himself father of many nations before Isaac was born. In practice, it means speaking God’s promises as present realities rather than future possibilities. It is not denial of current circumstances but agreement with what God has already declared to be true in His Word.
How is faith voice-activated according to Scripture?
Romans 10:9-10 establishes that salvation itself is released through confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart, meaning the spoken word and the heart work together to produce results. Jesus told the disciples in Luke 17:6 that they could speak to a mulberry tree and it would obey them, directing authority through voice. Hebrews 3:1 calls Jesus the high priest of our confession, implying He acts on behalf of what we confess aloud in agreement with God’s Word.
What is the biblical meaning of confession as it relates to faith?
The Greek word translated confession in Hebrews 3:1 is homologya, which literally means to say the same thing. Biblical confession is not admitting wrongdoing in this context but rather agreeing verbally with what God has already declared. When a believer confesses that they are healed, blessed, and a child of God, they are aligning their words with God’s words, which is the mechanism through which faith operates and the inheritance becomes accessible.
Why did God change Jacob’s name to Israel and what does Israel mean?
Genesis 32:28 records that God changed Jacob’s name after their wrestling encounter, with Jacob meaning heel grabber or supplanter and Israel meaning one who strives with God or a prince with God. The name change was significant because it shifted Jacob’s identity from someone who grasped and stole blessings through cunning to someone who understood himself as an heir and prince of the kingdom. Every time his name was spoken after that, it declared his inheritance rather than his sinful past.
What does Psalm 91 teach about declaring God’s names?
Psalm 91:1-2 opens with the declaration that those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under His shadow, and then immediately follows with the active statement I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress. The pastor notes that the Hebrew word for dwell implies staking a claim and resisting all intruders, and that the dwelling itself is conditional on saying of the Lord. Declaring God’s covenant names activates the specific provisions attached to those names.
How does 2 Peter 1:2-4 support the idea that believers already have everything they need?
Second Peter 1:3 states that His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. This means the provision is already done and already delivered in the spiritual realm; the knowledge of God is the key that unlocks access to it. Verse 4 adds that through the exceeding great and precious promises believers become partakers of the divine nature, showing that declaration of these promises is how they become experiential realities.
What is the difference between biblical confession of faith and Christian Science?
The pastor directly addresses this distinction by clarifying that biblical faith does not deny the existence of sickness, lack, or difficulty in a fallen world. Christian Science theology denies that evil or disease exist at all, which the pastor calls a false doctrine. Biblical confession acknowledges current circumstances while refusing to make them the final word, choosing instead to declare what God has promised until His reality supersedes the natural circumstance. It is agreement with God’s report rather than denial of the physical world.
What does it mean to be made a king and priest through Jesus Christ?
Revelation 1:5-6 states that Jesus has made believers kings and priests to His God and Father, and Revelation 5:10 adds that they shall reign on earth. This is not a future status but a present identity that was established at the new birth. Just as a natural king inherits from the kingdom of his father, believers as kings and children of God have access to the full inheritance of the Father’s kingdom, which includes health, provision, peace, and authority over the works of darkness.
