Over the years I have seen a lot of believers stop short of experiencing all that God wanted them to experience because they could never get past what they saw in the natural. I remember in my first pastorate when God was doing some amazing things in our midst. We were finishing up a week of revival meetings, the preaching was finished, a young lady was accepting Christ, and worship broke out among the people. When I say that worship broke out among the people, I mean there was shouting, singing, dancing, crying, laughter, etc. However, this "uprising" of worship did not sit well with some in the congregation. To be quite honest with you, they totally quenched the movement of the Holy Spirit because they failed to recognize what God was doing. The next evening it was apparent that the people did not want to move any further. We finished the meetings. I soon resigned from that church. And ultimately the church faltered as they continued to do what they always did. That particular congregation no longer exists, the doors of the building were closed, and many of the people have moved on.
Why did I tell you that story? The reason is simple. If we fail to recognize what we carry in the Lord, and if we fail to discern through the spirit rather than the soul what God is doing around us, we will limit His ability in our lives. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The only way to enter into the reality of what God wants to do in our lives is to accept spiritual reality over the natural reality. What often looks like chaos around us in a worship service can actually be warfare in the Spirit. What seems to be bringing confusion to our natural mind can actually be bringing peace. The only way we will know the difference is by tapping into the Spirit of God.
Let me ask you some questions:
Do you believe that the Kingdom of God is within you?
Do you believe that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you?
Do you believe that the Spirit of God makes intercession for you?
Do you believe that you have access to heavenly places?
Do you believe that with God all things are possible?
I could go on with the questions but I think you get the point. What we believe determines the reality in which we live. It determines how we worship, how we walk with the Lord in relationship, and how we interact with the people around us. Our identity in Christ is vital to seeing ourselves through a spiritual reality. Our inheritance with the saints is critical to bringing the spiritual into the natural. Knowing who we are and Whose we are will keep us from bowing down to the natural realities of life and press into the spiritual reality that is available.
The spiritual reality that I'm speaking of is available when we stop looking through our natural eyes, stop viewing things through a religious or denominational lens, and being to discern in the Spirit of God what is taking place around us. This requires training yourself, building yourself up in the faith, and learning how to distinguish the differences between your soul and your spirit. I'm not saying that your spirit and soul are at odds with one another. I'm simply saying that you cannot allow your soul to override the spiritual reality.
Personally...I have determined to live in the spiritual reality 1st. That doesn't mean that I live in denial to the natural world. It just means that I believe in a superior reality. Living from Heaven to Earth will do that to you. It will cause you to ask the questions that need to be asked, declare the things that need to be declared, and bring God's reality into the natural reality. You have got to know what you carry. You have the light of life available to you every second of every day. Enjoy the journey!!!
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