Zadok Discipleship Course - Armed for War · Dr. Steve Foss

Lessons 21-24

Transformation & Writing the Word on the Heart

Concept Review Test · 30 Questions · 50 Points · Dr. Steve Foss

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About This Test

Lesson 21 - Why You Struggle: God never intended perpetual struggle; sin nature vs. belief system at conversion; how belief systems filter all incoming reality; the five-year-old story; Proverbs 22:6 in both directions; the solution is rewriting the heart, not stronger willpower.
Lesson 22 - The Power of the Word: Romans 8 - the carnal mind as enmity; pleasure as a belief-system judgment, not an intrinsic property; Hebrews 1:3 - the word that upholds the universe; renovation vs. painting over; the Parable of the Sower as four stages in one heart (wayside, stony ground, thorns, good ground).
Lesson 23 - Made Free: Abiding vs. hearing; set free vs. made free; Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 as covenant promises; the four God-ordained strategies from Deuteronomy 6; Strategy One: Teach the Word - the teacher receives more than the listener.
Lesson 24 - Writing the Word on the Heart: Strategy Two: Talk the Word (mouth-heart connection; Joshua 1:8; the debt account); Strategy Three: Publicly identify with the Word (identification writes nature); Strategy Four: Write it down (passive listening vs. active writing; the king's first assignment); all four strategies as a complete system.

This is a concept test, not a memorization test. Every question asks you to apply what you understood. Click Submit & Grade My Test for instant feedback.

Part A

Multiple Choice - 20 Questions · 2 pts each · 40 pts

Lesson 21 - Why You Struggle

Question 1

A pastor tells his congregation: "The Christian life is a daily battle. Expect to struggle with sin until you die - that's just the reality of living in a fallen world." Based on Lesson 21, what is the problem with this framing?

A. It is too discouraging and will cause believers to lose hope in their sanctification. B. It underestimates the power of the Holy Spirit, who provides moment-by-moment strength to resist temptation. C. It ignores the doctrine of entire sanctification, which teaches that sin can be fully eradicated in this life. D. It normalizes as permanent something God designed to be temporary. The perpetual, grinding struggle where sin keeps winning does not honor God or demonstrate the finished work of Christ. God's intention was genuine transformation - a changed nature, not lifelong white-knuckle resistance.

Question 2

A believer has been genuinely born again for five years but still reacts with explosive anger whenever they feel disrespected - exactly as they did before conversion. Their spouse says, "If you were really saved, you'd be over this by now." What does Lesson 21 offer as the most accurate analysis?

A. The spouse may be right - persistent pre-conversion patterns can indicate the conversion was not genuine. B. The new birth addressed the sin nature, but the belief system - including the deeply ingrained pattern that disrespect means danger - was written on the heart before conversion and does not automatically rewrite at salvation. The person is genuinely saved but operating from an old, unrenewed belief system. C. The person needs deliverance from a specific demonic stronghold that attached during a pre-conversion trauma. D. The person simply needs more faith and consistent prayer to overcome the remaining resistance of the flesh.

Question 3

The five-year-old on the bus heard "I love you" and responded with fear and accusation. An observer might say he was being irrational. What does Lesson 21 say about the rationality of his response - and what does it reveal about belief systems?

A. He was being irrational, and the solution is patient explanation of what love actually means. B. His reaction was a spiritual problem that required a supernatural encounter to overcome. C. His reaction was entirely rational given what had been written on his heart. The belief system was wrong - but it was real to him, and it was producing real reactions. A belief system can make a person functionally unable to receive truth, not because they consciously refuse it, but because the filter rejects it before it can be fairly evaluated. D. He was being rebellious - the appropriate response was firm boundary-setting rather than compassion.

Question 4

Two people sit under the same preacher for the same sermon on forgiveness. One is deeply transformed; the other walks out unchanged and dismissive. Both heard identical words. What does Lesson 21 say explains the difference?

A. The word landed on different belief systems. One had filters that allowed the word to be received; the other had filters that neutralized or distorted it before it could take root. The soil of the heart - not the quality of the seed - determined the outcome. B. The preacher was anointed to reach one person specifically, which accounts for the selective effect of the sermon. C. One person had greater natural spiritual sensitivity; the other was hardened by sin and needed more time. D. The one who was changed had been fasting and praying in preparation; the other had not prepared spiritually.

Lesson 22 - The Power of the Word

Question 5

A preacher teaches: "Sin is pleasurable - I won't lie to you. But you must resist the pleasure because God says no." Why does Lesson 22 say this framing, while common, actually concedes too much?

A. Because it is theologically incorrect - Scripture says sin brings no lasting pleasure at all. B. Because framing sin as pleasurable will make the congregation want to sin more. C. Because it implies that resisting temptation through willpower is the permanent solution, when the real solution is discipline. D. Because pleasure is not an intrinsic property of any action - it is an emotional judgment produced by the belief system. When the Word of God is written on the heart, sin registers as genuinely vile rather than pleasurable, not through effort but through transformation. The preacher is treating a symptom as if it were a fixed feature.

Question 6

Hebrews 1:3 (AMPC) says Christ upholds, maintains, guides, and propels the universe by His mighty word of power. Why does Lesson 22 bring this into a lesson on personal transformation?

A. To establish that God's power is available for miracles when believers pray with sufficient faith. B. To show that the Word of God is reliable as a source of doctrinal authority in the church. C. Because that same word - the one sustaining every atom and galaxy - is what God wants to write on the human heart. When it is written there, it will uphold, guide, and propel the believer in the same way it upholds creation. The power available for transformation is the power that holds the universe together. D. To demonstrate that verbal declaration of Scripture releases cosmic authority into natural circumstances.

Question 7

A church offers a program called "Spiritual Renovation" but the primary activities are new outward habits, accountability partners, and behavioral goals. What does Lesson 22's use of the renovation metaphor say about the adequacy of this approach?

A. It is painting over rotten wood. Renovation, as Lesson 22 defines it, tears out the old structurally compromised elements - it does not cover them. Behavioral goals and accountability can modify outward conduct, but they leave the old writing on the heart intact. Only the Word written on the heart produces actual renovation. B. It is a strong starting point because external habits eventually shape internal conviction. C. It is adequate as long as it is combined with regular church attendance and prayer. D. The program is fine because God uses human structures of accountability as His primary vehicle for transformation.

Question 8

A believer receives a word about financial breakthrough, believes it joyfully, begins confessing it - but months pass with no visible change. They feel abandoned and conclude God's Word did not work for them. According to Lesson 22's Parable of the Sower, what stage are they at and what should they do?

A. Stage 1 (wayside) - the word was never properly received; they should restart with better understanding. B. Stage 2 (stony ground) - trials come specifically because of the Word, targeting the very thing just received. The discouragement is the test. Root comes from enduring through it and refusing to release the Word because circumstances challenged it. Dropping the Word now is dropping it at precisely the moment it was about to take root. C. Stage 3 (thorns) - worldly cares have grown up and are choking the Word; they need to simplify their life. D. Stage 4 (good ground) - the fruit is coming; they simply need more patience.

Question 9

A ministry leader has seen genuine breakthroughs, growing influence, and increasing recognition. They feel spiritually strong. Lesson 22 identifies this season as the most dangerous stage of the Sower. Why?

A. Growing recognition always produces pride, which is the unforgivable spiritual failure for a leader. B. The enemy concentrates his heaviest attacks on people who are visibly succeeding, making this the most spiritually exposed season. C. Success creates complacency, causing leaders to reduce their prayer and Scripture intake. D. Success uniquely surfaces what failure hid: pride, love of recognition, and appetite for gain. These thorns do not announce themselves as threats - they grow under the appearance of health and blessing. A person who navigated failure faithfully may be completely unprepared for what success reveals.

Lesson 23 - Made Free

Question 10

Two ex-addicts are both clean for five years. The first requires daily support meetings and constant vigilance to avoid relapse. The second rarely thinks about their former addiction - the craving simply does not register anymore. Using Lesson 23's distinction, how would you categorize each person?

A. Both are equally free - the difference is merely temperamental, not spiritual. B. The first is more spiritually mature because they recognize their dependency on God daily. C. The first has been set free - the external condition changed but the internal nature did not. The second has been made free - the truth has been written on the heart and the desire for what bondage offered has been genuinely replaced. They are not resisting a craving; the craving is gone. D. The second person's experience is suspect - anyone who does not feel the ongoing pull of temptation may be deceiving themselves about the depth of their former bondage.

Question 11

Ezekiel 36:27 says: "I will cause you to walk in My statutes." A believer reads this and says, "That means God will just make me obey - I have no role to play." What does Lesson 23 say about this reading?

A. It misses the mechanism. God causing the obedience does not bypass the human - it works through the rewriting of the heart. The believer cooperates by pursuing the strategies for getting the Word written on the heart. The resulting obedience is genuinely theirs and genuinely God's at the same time, because it flows from a transformed nature. B. The reading is essentially correct - God's sovereignty means the obedience is ultimately His work with no required cooperation. C. The verse applies only to Israel under the Old Covenant and does not carry over to New Testament believers. D. The verse means God will discipline believers until they comply, not that He changes their internal desires.

Question 12

A young adult in a discipleship class says, "The Great Commission in Matthew 28 is for pastors and missionaries - I'm just a regular believer." What does Lesson 23 say about this - and what personal benefit does it identify for the one who teaches?

A. The statement is broadly correct - the Great Commission belongs primarily to those with formal ministry calling. B. The statement is wrong because all believers are called to evangelism, though teaching is a separate gift given to some. C. The Great Commission belongs to all, but the benefit of teaching belongs mainly to the student who receives it. D. The Great Commission is a teaching commission for every believer. And the person who teaches receives more than those who listen - the act of finding words, making connections, and answering objections drives the Word deeper into the teacher's own heart than any amount of passive exposure could.

Lesson 24 - Writing the Word on the Heart

Question 13

A believer hears a sermon about debt and inwardly disagrees with the minister's position - but never says so out loud. Years later, under financial pressure, they verbally rationalize going into debt: "I have no problem with this for the sake of ministry." What does the debt account in Lesson 24 teach about what just happened?

A. The spoken rationalization was a sign of spiritual weakness that could have been avoided with more prayer. B. The truth that went unspoken allowed the lie to gradually take hold. When the mouth finally spoke the rationalization, it sealed the lie into the heart. What we speak participates in writing on the heart - both truth and lies travel the same mouth-heart highway in both directions. C. The real problem was the financial pressure - the person would have held the truth if circumstances had been easier. D. The ministry context made the debt decision legitimate, so the verbal justification was appropriate.

Question 14

Ephesians 5:15-19 commands believers to walk circumspectly in evil days, be filled with the Spirit, speaking psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Lesson 24 identifies a specific connection between these instructions. What is it?

A. The singing commanded here is primarily for congregational worship and has no direct bearing on personal transformation. B. The circumspect walk is the result of being filled, and being filled is the result of consistent prayer and fasting. C. The posture of circumspection in hostile territory is maintained through the speaking of the Word. The means of being filled with the Spirit in evil days is the continuous speaking of the Word in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Speaking is how the believer walks safely and stays full. D. The passage teaches that corporate worship is the primary environment for spiritual filling and cannot be replicated privately.

Question 15

A church youth group encourages students to follow the same social media influencers as their unchurched friends, adopt the same fashion trends, and attend the same entertainment events - reasoning that cultural relevance builds bridges for evangelism. What does Lesson 24's teaching on public identification say about this strategy?

A. It is spiritually dangerous in a way that exceeds cultural preference. Whatever a person publicly identifies with, they take on its nature - this is the spiritual dynamic behind God's command to Israel not to adopt the markings of surrounding nations. Cultural identification writes the values of the identified-with culture onto the heart. B. It is an effective strategy as long as believers maintain strong private devotional lives to counterbalance the exposure. C. It is a neutral choice - what matters is the internal motivation, not the external activity. D. The concern is overstated - sharing cultural reference points with unbelievers does not affect the heart if the doctrine is sound.

Question 16

A new king in Israel takes the throne. Before addressing military threats, economic policy, or diplomatic alliances, Deuteronomy 17 requires him to do one thing first. What was it - and why does Lesson 24 highlight it for ordinary believers?

A. Offer a public sacrifice at the temple to consecrate his reign to God. B. Receive the anointing of the high priest and be confirmed by the prophets. C. Fast for forty days to seek God's wisdom before taking any action. D. Write out a complete personal copy of the Law in his own hand and read it all the days of his life. Even the most powerful leader in the nation was required to write the Word personally - the act of writing is the fourth strategy, and it is the most consistently underutilized by ordinary believers who delegate their engagement to passive listening.

Question 17

A student takes notes during a sermon and finds the material much easier to apply during the week than when they simply listened. Another student thinks note-taking is distracting and prefers pure listening. What does Lesson 24 say about the difference in their engagement?

A. Note-taking is a personal learning style preference with no inherent spiritual advantage over attentive listening. B. The note-taker benefits because writing helps memory recall, making it easier to apply the information later. C. Active writing engages the mind at a deeper level of processing than passive listening. Research cited in the lesson shows passive listening retains as little as ten percent; active writing retains up to eighty-five. The decisions involved in what to record deepen processing, drive understanding, and allow the Word to pass through the filter and begin its journey toward the heart. D. The pure listener benefits from undivided attention on the Spirit while the note-taker is partially distracted by the act of writing.

Question 18

A believer asks, "I've been memorizing Scripture for years but don't feel like anything is actually changing. Why isn't it working?" Looking at all four strategies together from Lesson 24, what does the lesson suggest as the most likely gap?

A. They probably need to memorize more Scripture - the volume is insufficient to produce the critical mass needed for transformation. B. Memorization alone is cognitive retention, not necessarily the writing the lesson describes. The Word must be taught to others, spoken aloud continuously, publicly identified with, and actively written down - all four strategies working together drive the Word through the filters and onto the heart. One strategy in isolation, even consistently, may not complete the process. C. The memorization is producing change, but the person is not yet aware of it - transformation often happens below the surface before it becomes visible. D. They need to pursue the strategies in the specific order given: teach first, then talk, then identify, then write.

Question 19

Joshua 1:8 says the Book of the Law "shall not depart from your mouth" and promises that this practice will produce the ability to observe and do what is written. Lesson 24 identifies a specific word definition that explains the mechanism. What does "meditate" actually mean here - and why does it matter?

A. To mutter, speak under the breath, and murmur quietly but continuously. The mouth is the instrument, not silent mental reflection. The word shall not depart from the mouth because the speaking is what produces the doing - speaking writes the Word on the heart, and the writing produces the nature that does it naturally. B. To memorize, internalize, and mentally rehearse Scripture passages until they become automatic thoughts. C. To silently contemplate a passage in prolonged focused attention until a revelation breaks through. D. To meditate in the Eastern sense - emptying the mind and creating space for God to speak.

Question 20

Someone says: "Teach, Talk, Publicly Identify, Write - these are just four different styles. I'll pick the one that fits my personality." What does Lesson 24 say directly challenges this approach?

A. God prescribes different strategies for different spiritual temperaments, so personal selection is appropriate. B. The four strategies are ordered by importance, so skipping the later ones is acceptable if the first three are practiced faithfully. C. They are not alternatives - they are complementary, mutually reinforcing strategies that God gave together in a single passage as the complete prescription. Each does something the others cannot: teaching drives through filters of misunderstanding; talking seals through the mouth-heart connection; identification shapes the cultural environment; writing gives tangibility and depth. Selecting one is choosing an incomplete prescription. D. The four strategies are for communities and families, not individuals - they require others to implement fully.

Part B

True or False - 10 Statements · 1 pt each · 10 pts

Lessons 21 & 22 - Why You Struggle & The Power of the Word

1. Emotional reactions like disgust, fear, or attraction are direct spiritual signals - they reveal what is actually true about a situation and should be trusted as a guide to discernment.

TRUE FALSE

2. The sin nature is addressed at genuine new birth, but the belief system - the accumulated thought patterns written on the heart before conversion - does not automatically rewrite itself at salvation.

TRUE FALSE

3. The carnal mind described in Romans 8:6-7 is sub-optimal but correctable through stronger spiritual disciplines and willpower applied consistently over time.

TRUE FALSE

4. In the Parable of the Sower, the trials of Stage 2 (stony ground) come specifically because of the Word - targeting the very thing just received. Root is formed by enduring through the test rather than dropping the Word when circumstances challenge it.

TRUE FALSE

5. Once a believer successfully navigates the test of failure (Stage 2), the test of success (Stage 3) is less threatening because the Word has already proven itself trustworthy.

TRUE FALSE

Lessons 23 & 24 - Made Free & Writing the Word

6. Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 are covenant promises in which God takes personal responsibility for writing His Word on His people's hearts - the initiative and the work are ultimately His, not merely the believer's discipline.

TRUE FALSE

7. The promise of John 8:32 - "the truth shall make you free" - is available to any person who intellectually agrees with or has heard the Word of God.

TRUE FALSE

8. Speaking a truth out loud does more than express what is already believed - it participates in creating core beliefs. What the mouth speaks travels in both directions: it expresses the heart and it writes upon the heart.

TRUE FALSE

9. The four strategies of Deuteronomy 6 (Teach, Talk, Identify, Write) are alternative approaches to the same goal - a believer should select the one or two that best fit their learning style and personality.

TRUE FALSE

10. Whatever a person publicly identifies with, they take on its nature. This is the spiritual dynamic behind God's command to Israel not to adopt the markings and symbols of surrounding nations - the identification would write the values of those nations onto Israel's heart.

TRUE FALSE

0 / 50

Part A - Multiple Choice (20 questions × 2 pts)

Part B - True or False (10 questions × 1 pt)

Total

"God never intended for you to struggle. He intended to write His Word on your heart. Teach it. Talk it. Identify with it. Write it down. Do these things and watch the transformation come."

- Dr. Steve Foss, Lessons 21-24 · Jeremiah 31:33 · Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Lessons 21-24

Transformation & Writing the Word on the Heart

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