In our study of Mark we are in Mark 13:37; where Jesus commands Church Age believers to be on the alert for His imminent return. Based on this we have taken up a study of the doctrine of awareness.

As we were closing last time we noted that awareness is the motivation for the fulfillment of the four dimensions found in Eph 3:18, "That you may utilize the power to grasp the idea with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth."

Grasping the idea means having something to think. God has provided all the doctrine you will ever need in one book. Everything that is important with regard to mental attitude and thinking is found in the Scripture. If you are a student of the Word, you are a thinker. The dynamics of life are found in thought.

For believers, there is no substitute for grasping what God reveals in His Word. Grasping Bible Doctrine does not require a high human I.Q; it requires a spiritual I.Q.

Once you have metabolized doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness, the next thing is to direct it toward the four dimensions of doctrinal capacity.

In this verse the four nouns width, length, height and depth that are connected with the Greek conjunction "kai," that is translated "and" but there is only there one definite article at the beginning of all four.

If each noun had its own definite article, then each one would refer to different things. But since they have only one article, they refer to the same thing. It is referring to a single thing (doctrinal capacity) in four dimensions width, length, and height, and depth.

This concept is presented by the Granville Sharp rule of interpretation of nouns with a single article that are connected by the Greek conjunction "kai."

The four dimensions all refer to God's plan, will, and purpose for every Church Age believer that is revealed in His Word.

The four dimensions emphasize the fact that God has provided the means of tactical victory for every believer to become a winner and invisible hero by following the precedence that our Lord Jesus Christ personally established during his first advent in the dispensation of His unglorified humanity.

For example, our Lord did not sin while bearing the sins of the entire world on the cross. The problem solving devices he used on the cross prevented the outside pressure of adversity from breaking through and causing Him stress.

He handled every attack and distraction that He faced with the spiritual life and never failed.

The precedence and power for our spiritual life does not come from the Mosaic Law it comes from Jesus. Never has so much been given to any group of believers. Heb 12:2;

Heb 3:18; The word translated "breadth" or "width" is Greek word "platos" that refers to the function of the defense line that surrounds your soul, that is comprised of the ten problem solving devices that are arrayed on the FLOT line of your soul to prevent the outside pressures of life from becoming the inside pressures of stress.

Your soul must have a defense perimeter that blocks all categories of adversity including but not limited to:

Historical disaster that includes national trauma such as economic depression, tyranny of government, destruction of freedom, the tyranny of crime, gang rule, riots, racial prejudice, and uncontrolled violence.

Criminal disaster that includes murder, rape, torture, robbery, extortion, terrorism, child abuse.

Being the victim of vituperation including gossip, slander, maligning, judging, a public lie, vilification, rejection, and revenge.

The adversity that comes from the death of a loved one.

The loss of health and pain and suffering that comes from injury and disease including terminal illness.

Suffering related to deprivation, economic disaster, warfare, and revolution.

Weather disasters.

The rejection that comes from being a victim of unfair treatment, prejudice, a victim of discrimination, oppression, violence, abuse, injustice, or being passed over for promotion.

All the these problems of life are common to mankind in the devil's world are successfully dealt with to God's glory by using the problem solving devices that surround the width or perimeter of your soul.

Eph 3:18; The word translated "length" is the Greek word "mekos" that refers to metabolized doctrine circulating in the seven compartments of the stream of consciousness under the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit.

Length is Bible doctrine that is the basis for the formation of the doctrinal rationales that establish problem-solving devices, in the stream of consciousness.

1Pet 3:15; "But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, always (being) ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."

You set apart Christ in your heart with metabolized doctrine in your stream of consciousness until you come to the point of occupation with Christ that establishes the ultimate happiness and solutions to the problems in life.

Prov 27:19; "As water reflects a face, so a person's heart reflects the person." What you really are is what goes on in your stream of consciousness. What a person does is nothing more than a reflection of what goes on in their thinking. As a man thinks in his heart so he is. Prov 23:7a;

Heb 4:12 "For the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, of the joints and marrow, and is a judge of the thoughts and ideas of the heart."

God's Word evaluates and judges our thinking. We are blessed if we choose to use it to evaluate ourselves and make the appropriate adjustments. James 1:23-35; 1Cor 11:28; 1John 1:9;

Prov 18:15; "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, And the ears of the wise seek it out."

1Sam 16:7; "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not look on what man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

Prov 18:12; "Before destruction a person is arrogant, but humility comes before honor."

Heb 3:12; "Beware, brethren, take heed, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief (negative volition to doctrine), in falling away from the living God."

James 3:14; "But if you have bitter jealousy and strife in your heart, do not be arrogant and lie against the truth."

Eph 4:18; "They have darkened their way of thinking (blackout of the soul) and they have been alienated from the life of God (no metabolized doctrine in the stream of consciousness) because of the ignorance which is in them because of hardness their hearts."

The word translated "hardness" is the Greek word "porosis" that means lack of ability to perceive or dulled perception because of negative volition to God's Word. Believers with "hardness of heart" have no capacity to be alert or aware.

Being alert or aware requires all seven compartments of the stream of consciousness to be operational.

The frame of reference compartment is the conceptual structure of the heart where doctrine, principles, and categories of Scripture are correlated.

It is the area of retention for metabolized doctrine once a person believes it. It is the location for all concepts related to the mystery doctrine of the Church Age.

It organizes metabolized doctrine and sorts out all the various categories and applications and then sends it to all other compartments of the heart.

It where the ten problem solving devices are arrayed. Paul describes this compartment in 1Cor 2:9; "Things which the eye has not seen, nor the ear has heard, and have not entered into the heart of mankind, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."

The memory center compartment is where doctrine is stored for recall. Recall is necessary for the application of doctrine to experience.

Recall is required in worship, in the training of Christian reflexes for the function of spiritual self- esteem, spiritual autonomy and spiritual maturity and the function of the ten problem solving devices on the defensive perimeter or FLOT line of the soul.

Lam 3:20-21; "Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me. This (Bible doctrine) I recall to my mind, therefore I have confidence."

Psa 119:16; "I delight in doctrine, I will not forget Your word."

Psa 119: 109; "My life is in constant danger, but I do not forget your doctrines."

The vocabulary storage compartment is where theological vocabulary is stored. After salvation, the new believer must learn a theological vocabulary. Every field of study has it's own technical vocabulary. Theology is no different.

Jer 15:16; "Your words were discovered and I ate them, and Your words became for me the joy and the delight of my heart."

Deut 8:3; "And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your ancestors know, that He might cause you to understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

The categorical storage compartment coordinates with the frame of reference to link Bible doctrine for categorical recall. Vocabulary and categorical storage are essential to spiritual growth from spiritual childhood into spiritual self-esteem, spiritual autonomy, to spiritual maturity, and for the execution of the protocol plan of God for the Church.

Categorical storage is essential and the interpretation of Scripture in doctrinal categories such as: dispensations, the two advents of Christ, salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, the portfolio of invisible assets, logistical grace, election, the problem solving devices, rebound, etc.

All thinking is done with categories and principles. Without thinking there is lack of capacity for life. Many people are very limited in what they think and as a result their enthusiasm for life is limited.

When that happens their enthusiasms are based on external stimulation from hyperactivity and substance abuse rather than on the thinking skills resulting in the soul being shut down. This leads to a constant need for overt stimulation and the frantic search for happiness.

When there is nothing in your stream of consciousness, you become totally involved with yourself. Self-absorption requires entertainment through some kind of external stimulation.

The lack of capacity to focus that is created by the lack of creative thinking skills can overflow and become a detriment to the spiritual life.

When scripture is compared with scripture subjects are brought together in the divisions of doctrine, arranged for the purpose of classification and application.