Apostle Paul is one of the first Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ who went through much difficult trials for the sake of the Gospel. The Apostle describes his tribulation in 2 Corinthians 11: 23-27; which paints the most gruesome image of all he had to endure. However, the Apostle did not even consider this to be the end all, he considered his turmoil mild, saying, ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,’ (2 Corinthians 4: 17). Many of the Apostles also went through heinous tribulation, but children of God today treat the Gospel cheaply, as just an alternative to a worldly lifestyle – no! Jesus should be the essence of your life, the beginning and the end, and not a mere portion. Apostle Paul continues to say, ‘… while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal’ (2 Corinthians 4:18) – here, he introduces the concept of two realms, one seen, and another unseen; where the things unseen are not only real, but eternal.
The Bible also tells us, ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible’ (Hebrews 11:1-2). Apostle Paul again makes us aware of the reality of two realms – the natural realm, and the supernatural (spiritual) realm. God abides in the spiritual realm, because He is a spirit (John 4:24), thus we cannot perceive Him with our natural eye. The same way we know that television signals are present in the room even before we switch on our devices, we should accept the reality of the spiritual realm, where God has perfected everything (Ephesians 1:3). This is the parent realm, as all things seen in the physical are born from the Spirit. Therefore, when we exercise our faith, we are releasing the things that are a reality in the spirit and making them manifest in the physical. Faith is not confessing something until it is, it is the belief that it is already there, available – and translating this unseen reality into one that you can see.
The supernatural should therefore be natural for the child of God, but today, we have demonized all who walk in the spirit and have cut ourselves off from the benefit of being supernatural. It is possible for a child of God to know all things, passed and coming – this should be our daily bread. There is also more information in the realm of the spirit, time is not a hinderance, this is why God said, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations…’ (Jeremiah 1:5) – this is the real realm, believe it! But now, how do we come to perceive this realm? Simple – we use the Word of God.
The Word of God operates like a window to the spirit. It enlightens the eyes of your understanding, and suddenly, we can see! This is all not to say the physical realm has no significance, but it is to draw attention to the fact that there is a superior realm, which superimposes all that is in the natural. Because of this, children of God shown in the scriptures always had an advantage, they always played by a different set of rules. For example, when the King of Syria was making war against Israel, the children of God were always steps ahead of him because they had one (Elisha) on their side who could see all things (2 Kings 6: 8-23). This heavily frustrated the King of Syria, that he even suspected that there was a mole within his camp. When he discovered that Elisha was in Dothan, the king sent horses and chariots to ambush and capture him. But when Elisha’s servant came to the man of God in panic, Elisha replied, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them…’ (2 Kings 6:16). Elisha prayed for God to open the servant’s eyes (his spiritual eyes and understanding), and the Lord obliged – suddenly, the young man could see the mountains filled with chariots of fire that were on their side (v. 17). Elisha did not need to see the King of Syria’s army, nor did he need to see the angels of God – he already knew! This is why the knowledge of the Word of God is important; Elisha already knew that there were always angels ministering to the children of God after he had seen them when he walked with Elijah (2 Kings 2:10-11). We now have the scriptures to build our knowledge, and it will be this knowledge base that will allow us to tap into the world of the Spirit – we don’t need to see visions, we just need to know and accept what the Lord has said about us, then walk in this reality!
Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your word, that is able to inform us of all we are and have in You. It has the ability to make us into all You have spoken of us, and we continually commit to submitting ourselves to the authority of the scriptures. Our reality is what You have said, and it will be our physical spheres, as it has already been perfected in the Spirit! In Jesus’ name – amen!
