It is important for us to understand that after being born again, there is an expected and stipulated way of living for born again believers. Apostle Paul writes, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (1 Corinthians 5:7) – this is the expectation God has, that we do not relate to Him through our feelings but in our ability to believe that which our natural senses can see. Church, there is a realm that is above that which you can perceive with your natural eyes and that is exactly what faith is – the ability to see with the eyes of our hearts into the spiritual world and into the realities made available in Christ Jesus for all who believe in Him. Of Moses, we read, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27) – this is what God’s servant did, he looked away from the turmoil of the physical world and fixed the eyes of his heart to the One who could not be seen with natural eyes, and by so doing he was able to forsake Egypt and endure. This is what the ability to see in the Spirit produces; the capacity to endure through the challenges of life with patience. Jesus in Matthew 13:15 addresses that it is not just the physical ear and eye that hears and sees, but once we hear and perceive, that same knowledge will bring the understanding that will give birth to the manifestation of the promise we are waiting for. Remember the words of apostle Paul, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2) – without knowledge, you cannot align yourself to appropriate all that God has made available for you through His Son. Get knowledge, because it is as a man thinks, that he is (Proverbs 23:7).
To adequately show us how to make use of the devices available to our disposal as Spirit-beings, let us consider the story of one of God’s prophets, Elisha. We read in 2 Kings 6 that while Syria was lodging war against Israel, the schemes and strategies of the opposition was revealed to Elisha time and time again, who would then warn Israel and help them evade the hand of the Syrians. The king of Syria even suspected that there was a spy in his courts, but his people told him, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom” (2 Kings 6:12). This does not mean that Elisha was physically with the king of Syria in his chambers, but he made use of his available devices to see and hear that which a natural man cannot. Later on, when the king of Syria had sent his troops to seize Elisha, his servant came to him in frantic panic, but we read, “And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). The important factor to note beyond the Lord opening the eyes of the servant for him to be able to see, was the fact that the horses and chariots were all around Elisha, not both of them. This deliberate clarification is important because it emphasises the rules of engagement, it is them who perceive and accept spiritual realities that will partake of them – that is why we can have two people in the exact same spiritual house receiving the exact same Word but reaping a different harvest. When you walk in understanding of all that belongs to you, nature responds and everything around you conspires to bring it to pass.
As the story progresses, Elisha brought the men sent to capture him to the king of Israel, but advised him not to kill them but to prepare a feast for them (v.19 -v.22). The men left, but Syria returned to besiege Israel after a while when Israel was suffering through famine. The king of Israel’s anger burned against Elisha because of the dire consequences of the raging famine, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria’ ” (2 Kings 7:1). Here we see that regardless of the fact that Elisha was aware of the famine that had befallen Israel, he did not speak the facts before him but he spoke what the Spirit of the Lord was saying. If we are to walk in faith, we cannot be people who observe the physical reality more than we are cognizant of the realities of the Spirit. But in order to be cognizant of these realities, we first have to place high honour and regard to the Word of God and to the servants the Lord uses to communicate such words. This principle is illustrated as we read on, an officer doubted the words of Elisha and was immediately cut off from those who would benefit from the words of the declaration (2 Kings 7:2). That is a common thing in the church, we hear the word of the Lord and because we struggle to comprehend how He will make it come to pass, we resort to doubting, but the blessing of the Lord is not for doubters. After the lepers had come in and claimed the deserted possessions of the Syrians, the words of the man of God came to pass. We read, “So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.” Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died” (2 Kings 7:18-20). This is how we ensure we stay in faith; we place honour on the Word of the Lord and on the servants through which He sends His it! Amen!
Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your Word that is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that we may be complete, equipped for every good work. You do not leave us to our own devices, You show us the ways of wisdom and You guide us into Your perfect day! You are a good Father, and we bless You! In the name of Jesus. Amen!
