Chapter 1
The Crisis of the Untaught Church
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me."
— Hosea 4:6
The Biggest Problem in the Church
Let me tell you something that may surprise you.
God loves you the same as He loves me and everybody else. We all experience the same love from God. It is not like God wants to answer your prayer but not answer mine. It is not like God wants to heal you but not heal the other person. That is not true.
But there are particular principles I walk in, particular biblical concepts and mysteries that I have been able to discover and walk in, that make my experience different from yours.
That is not arrogance. That is simply truth.
The difference between believers who experience consistent victory and those who live in constant defeat is not found in how much God loves them. God's love is equal and unconditional. The difference is found in what they know and what they apply.
I have been born again for many years. I have pastored people now for many years. I have an experience of what Christianity is for many years. And I can tell you with absolute certainty: The biggest problem we have in the church is that the church is very much untaught.
How do I know this? Simple. We all apply the same formula for everything.
The Single Formula Syndrome
What happens when you face a crisis? You pray and fast. What happens when you need a breakthrough? You pray and fast. What happens when you are sick? You pray and fast. What happens when your marriage is struggling? You pray and fast. What happens when your finances are failing? You pray and fast.
Prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting.
Now, let me be absolutely clear: there is nothing wrong with prayer and fasting. These are biblical disciplines. Jesus Himself prayed and fasted. The early church prayed and fasted. We should pray and fast.
But here is the problem: We have replaced principles with prayer and fasting.
I will tell you this, and it may sound strange at first, there are many solutions we get spiritually without prayer and fasting. Very many things we can obtain from God without a single prayer or fast.
Why? Because what has been set by God operates by law, not by request.
The Law of Gravity Illustration
Let me describe it this way.
What is the law of gravity? It is a law, a principle that God set in place. If one of you now jumps from the roof of this building, is that person going to fly to heaven? No. They will land on the ground and probably die.
Now, for that person to fall, did they pray and fast? No. Did God decide in that moment that they should fall? No. The person fell because of a law that God set. It is a principle: anyone who jumps from a roof must come down.
Here is the key: Whether they know that law exists or not, it will still work. If you are not aware of the law of gravity, it will still make you land. If you are fully aware of it, it will still make you land. Your ignorance of that law will not protect you from its effects.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. In the Word of God, there are principles and concepts, I call them spiritual laws. There are things that happen in your life only because of a law, not because of a prayer and fasting.
So I have seen the church replace principles with prayer and fasting. And because of that, prayer and fasting is not effective the way they want it to be. People are fasting and no answer comes. They are praying and nothing changes. Why? Because they are trying to use spiritual effort to override spiritual law.
That is like jumping off a building and praying on the way down that you will not land. You will land. The law is already set.
God Watches Over His Word
Jeremiah 1:12 says something profound:
"Then the Lord said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.'"
Notice what God is watching over. He did not say, "I am watching over your prayers to perform them." He did not say, "I am watching over your fasting to perform it." He said, "I am watching over My word to perform it."
God has set laws and principles in His Word. When you align with those principles, things happen, not because you prayed hard enough, but because you walked in the law. When you violate those principles, things go wrong, not because God is punishing you, but because you stepped outside the law.
This is why two people can pray the same prayer, and one gets results while the other gets nothing. It is not that God loves one more. It is that one is walking in knowledge while the other is walking in ignorance.
The Tragedy of Sincere Ignorance
Here is what breaks my heart: Some of the most sincere believers I know are the most defeated.
They love God with all their hearts. They pray every morning. They fast regularly. They attend church faithfully. They give their tithes. They read their Bibles. They do everything the church tells them to do.
And yet, their lives are a mess.
Their finances are in shambles. Their marriages are struggling. Their children are rebellious. Their health is failing. Their businesses are collapsing. Their ministries are fruitless.
They cry out to God, "Why? I have done everything right! Why am I not seeing results?"
And the answer is often this: You have zeal, but you lack knowledge.
Romans 10:2 describes this perfectly:
"For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge."
Zeal without knowledge is dangerous. You can be sincerely wrong. You can be passionately misguided. You can be fervently ignorant.
And if you do not get knowledge, you will be destroyed, not by the devil, not by enemies, but by your own lack of understanding.
Why Mentorship Matters
Let me show you something from Scripture that the church often overlooks.
How did God establish priesthood in Israel? Through the tribe of Levi. Only Levites could be priests. Why?
Because when you are born into a Levite family, you are mentored as a priest from childhood. Your father is a priest. Your grandfather was a priest. Your uncles are priests. You grow up watching how priests minister. You learn the rituals, the procedures, the protocols. By the time you take your place in the temple, you know exactly what to do.
The priests were not accidental people who woke up one day and said, "I feel called to be a priest." They were trained from birth.
When God wanted to establish kingship, He chose the tribe of Judah. Now all kings came from that tribe. If you are a son of David, one day you will rule Israel. The son of David sat on the throne of David. It was inherited.
But why? Was God being unfair? Was He showing favoritism?
No. It was about mentorship.
Solomon knew how to rule because he watched his father David rule. He was trained in kingship from youth. He understood the responsibilities, the challenges, the wisdom required. When he took the throne, he was prepared.
This is why Hosea 4:6 says:
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Not for lack of prayer. Not for lack of fasting. Not for lack of church attendance. For lack of knowledge.
The Knowledge Deficit
Let me ask you an honest question: How much do you really know about your purpose?
Not what you feel. Not what you hope. Not what you dream. What do you know?
Can you articulate, clearly and specifically, what God created you to do? Do you understand the principles that govern purpose fulfillment? Do you know what provisions God has made available for your assignment? Do you know what obstacles you will face and how to overcome them? Do you know the difference between your current dispensation and your future destiny?
Most believers cannot answer these questions. They have a vague sense that God has a purpose for them. They may have received prophetic words or dreams. They may have deep desires and longings. But they lack systematic, comprehensive knowledge about how purpose actually works.
And without that knowledge, they are stumbling in the dark.
They try this and fail. They try that and fail. They pray and nothing happens. They fast and nothing changes. They get frustrated. They get discouraged. They begin to doubt God, or worse, to doubt themselves.
But the problem is not God. The problem is not their calling. The problem is their lack of knowledge.
The Difference Knowledge Makes
| Without Knowledge | With Knowledge | |-------------------|----------------| | Confused about identity | Clear understanding of purpose | | Frustrated by failures | Equipped to overcome obstacles | | Dependent on others' opinions | Confident in God's design | | Reactive to circumstances | Proactive in destiny | | Blaming God or the devil | Taking responsibility for positioning | | Expecting magic | Understanding process | | Applying wrong formulas | Walking in right principles |
Knowledge is the difference between a person who knows they are called and a person who actually fulfills their calling.
You can know you are supposed to be a farmer and never get a breakthrough in it. You can know you are called to ministry and never gather more than two people. You can know you are destined for business success and never turn a profit.
Why? Because knowing what you are is not the same as knowing how to become.
What This Book Will Do
This is why I have written this book. This is why I teach these Master Classes. This is why I refuse to give shallow, feel-good messages that make people happy but leave them unchanged.
I want to give you knowledge.
Not information, knowledge. Not entertainment, understanding. Not inspiration, transformation.
By the time you finish this book, you will understand:
- What purpose is and how God designed it
- The four dispensations and where you currently stand
- What provisions God has given for this age
- What obstacles you will face and why they exist
- What decisions you must make to enter your place of purpose
- What costs are required for destiny fulfillment
- What expectations are realistic and which are fantasy
This is mentorship in written form. Read it slowly. Study it carefully. Apply it faithfully.
And may you never be destroyed by lack of knowledge again.
Reflection Questions
- Have you been applying the same formula (prayer and fasting) to every problem? What results have you seen?
- Can you identify areas of your life where you may be operating in ignorance of spiritual principles?
- Who has mentored you in understanding your purpose? If no one, what steps can you take to find godly mentorship?
- What specific knowledge do you need to move forward in your calling?
Prayer
Father, I confess that I have often operated in ignorance. I have prayed and fasted without understanding the principles of Your kingdom. I have been sincere but uninformed. Today, I ask You to open my eyes. Give me knowledge. Give me understanding. Teach me Your ways so that I may walk in them. I refuse to be destroyed by lack of knowledge any longer. In Jesus' name, Amen.