Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
As leaders, we must be aware of the spiritual realities of our world. The things that we can naturally see are motivated by things that we cannot see. People in the world are most often naturally minded because their view of the world is what they see to be naturally true or what they perceive to be naturally true. As Christ believers we must live our lives in an awareness of spiritual realities. Leaders are most aware of this, and leaders lead others to be aware of the same. If we are not, our perceptions will be naturally minded in the same way as those in the world. Our access to the kingdom of God is within our hearts by our connection to the Holy Spirit. We are part of a calling in Christ, an inheritance in Christ, and working of His power that is above the lesser spiritual powers at work in our world.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Spiritual hosts of wickedness in the realm of the spirit affect the beliefs of the hearts of mankind. Those spiritual hosts are lies and deceptions that seek to destroy the human heart and create bitter strongholds that entrench people into victim mentalities within their hearts. Those spiritual influences propagate spiritual forces of darkness that act to rule the minds of humanity. Those forces feed upon false beliefs and inspire actions that are self-seeking and destructive of others. That rule of darkness feeds spiritual powers of darkness that seek to steel the hearts of men in order to manipulate the creative power of the human imagination. That creative power is a twisted perversion of the creative nature of God. Instead of being a creative power that propagates life, it becomes a power that takes life from others for selfish purposes and gain. By this humanity is often controlled to create kingdoms unto themselves that destroy the kingdoms of others. This establishes false dominions facilitated by principalities. Those principalities become the spiritual influences that establish what should be unfamiliar to men as their familiar way in the word. This is the prince and power of the atmosphere – the prince and power of the air.
Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
Although we live in a world that is influenced by spiritual powers, we have a power of the Spirit that is greater than them all. That Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God, and He makes us alive that we might give life to our world. It is a spiritual reality, and it is not limited to the natural world in which we live. God’s influence in and through our lives is supernatural by nature. Because we have been made alive in Christ, we have access to heavenly places in Christ and we can expect the power of God’s grace to change our world.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
God’s mercy invites everyone to come to the place of God’s grace whereby the power of God’s love can be demonstrated to the world. Spiritual powers of darkness have access to the flesh of mankind, but when we become empowered by God’s grace, we grow in becoming manifested sons and daughters of God to liberate our world from the effects of darkness and futility. For this reason, prayer is not a last course of action in our lives. It is the means by which all of the actions of our lives are revealed. We don’t pray that our needs might be met. We pray that God’s kingdom influence will come into our world and the will of our heavenly Father will be done in all things. The spiritual realities of heaven are greater than the natural realities of our world. That power is greater than any power of the flesh. The life of God’s Spirit is greater than the life of the flesh.
Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
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