The spiritual realm
In our care group earlier this week, we talked about heaven, and someone made the comment that they don’t spend a lot of time thinking about heaven, ever, really. Our lives are full, our schedules are packed, and the what’s immediate fills our thoughts, for the most part.
And yet, Colossians says:
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts… (that’s Colossians 3:1-2)
Why? Well, heaven is actually a much more real place than earth, to my thinking, since earth will all be gone and heaven will last forever.
In the same way, the spiritual realm, while invisible, is both completely real, and worth thinking about (but not obsessing about). There are spiritual forces that war against us, and we need to be prepared for battle.
I’m sure we’ll unpack lots more about how the spiritual realm intersects our physical one, but for now, we’ll accept the reality of it all, and look to do what Neil says: “…as you daily embrace Christ and His truth, you will be able to recognize Satan’s lies and choose the truth.”
May we embrace Christ and His truth today.
After reading today’s message it becomes obvious to me why it is so important to slow down and be able to hear His still small voice. I must be familiar with God’s voice and know intimately the way He speaks to me so that I am not easily fooled by satanic forces pretending to have my best interests in mind.
ReplyDeleteMy dad always used to tell me that if I have two choices when making a decision, the harder one is probably the right one. The older I get the more I understand that is so right.
A couple of years ago when I was faced with hard choices at work I wanted to take the easy way out, I got to a point I just wanted to quit. God was telling me to wait, just wait. God was asking me to take certain steps that seemed so hard and out of my comfort zone at the time. Picture me with my feet stiff and Him pushed me from behind and my feet sliding forward (like I do with my kids when they don’t want to brush teeth or get ready for bed, in their socks sliding down the hall like they are water skiing – I think they do it just for the ride down the hall, but anyway…). It was tempting to just ignore the hard work, but God was so patience with me. I took little baby steps and basically walked through “the wall” with Him. I learned so much about myself during this time it was so incredibly. If I had not been listening I would have fallen astray by the enemy at many turns during this ordeal. God held me up while I could no longer hold myself up. As I did what He asked things began to slowly fall into place.
It would have been easier in the long run to listen to the lies, but doing it the hard way and listening to the truth had the big payoff in the end.
"Christians are woefully unprepared to deal with the dark world of Satan's kingdom or to minister to those who are in bondage to it."
ReplyDeleteWhat a sobering comment--we either underestimate the power of the enemy and his impact on people, or overestimate his power to control our own lives. Luke 10:19 is a great reminder of the power we have to defeat Satan no matter where he tries to infiltrate our lives: "Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Walking with Christ and studying His word gives us the ability to use this power wisely and appropriately. We need to wear our armor daily and be actively seeking those who need the healing and delivering power of Jesus on a daily basis!