Eternal Minded

Parallels between Evangelism and Spiritual Warfare

(Exploring the effect humans have on other humans, the effect that humans have on heavenly beings, and the effect that heavenly beings have on humans.)

Disclaimer: the following thoughts are musings, some are true - some are false. This is just a glimpse into my thought process - not theological absolutes. Read with caution, then ask the Great Divine what He thinks...

Are angels and demons real?

Is Satan really a fallen angel, a created heavenly being who was banned from the third heaven just like Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden?

Did the hierarchal structure of the angelic/demonic realms stay in place even after the fall?

Are new angels and demons still being created just like the temporary earth dwellers?

Why are we so vain and condescending regarding the demons? Is it our pride?

Do we really think we wouldn’t have made some of the very same decisions they did?

What if we began to understand who they really are and then started to act like we understand who we are? Would the heavens and earth be different?

I’m certainly not advocating joining them, only trying to understand how easy it must have been for them to get there – heck I blew it a few times today…probably make a few selfish, prideful decisions every day.

Aren’t we supposed to love the ones He puts in our midst even if they don’t know him? Isn’t this one of the ways He uses us to further his business? What does this mean in regards to angels and demons? Are we supposed to make a difference on the earth and in the heavens?

Can we interact with heavenly beings? or can they only act upon us?

This is changing my stance on warfare in the spirit realm. I want to be effective in the temporary realm as well as the eternal. The deeper part of this is understanding that eternity has already started and that our thoughts and actions interact with the eternal. Its not just how our actions change things in the temporary and thus the eternal, but that we could interact with the eternal and somehow the temporary is now different.

How do you love a demon?

How should we treat them?

Should we love them enough to understand that the Master’s heart aches to not have them with Him anymore?

Should we be condescending or kind?
Should we be hateful and vengeful or polite?
Do we believe the lies about them and the lies they tell or gently show them the truth?
Do we trust our Creator enough to believe the truth He tells us?
Do we knock em out of the park in one fell swoop or bump em a notch closer to truth when the timing is right?

What does kind/polite/truthful while watching for the right timing look like when dealing with demonic activity?

Can we apply the knowledge and understanding we have of prophetic evangelism and kindness outreach to spiritual warfare?

I know, so many questions - go ask Abba what He thinks....

Peace

Spirituality?

There's a great discussion going on at John Paul Jackson's Blog, come on guys jump in!! He asks the question, "What is Spirituality?".

Here's my stab, let's hear from you...

Spirituality is the recognition and expression of an eternal truth. The truth is that we are intended to be spirit filled beings; as such we are either filled with the indwelling of the Great One or we are full of something else.

The reason we choose to write it with a capital letter “S” these days is recognition of the eternal nature of this truth. Like all created truths they have been distorted and misused over time, this is part of the schemer’s master plan – take eternal truth, mix in enough confusion and then even those who were meant to figure it out would be afraid of it and shun it, classic maneuver…

How ironic - the ones who generally shun the Master have labeled their pursuit of enlightenment, “spirituality”. I love watching them transition to spelling it with a capital “S”. Let it be so.

Oh, Joy?

Why do you continue to put people in my life who push my buttons?

Because you have buttons.

Why don’t I get better at it?

That’s not the point,

What do you mean?

They love me too

Yeah right?

No really, you could learn from them…

No thanks,

Ok, but I’m ready to remove that button when you are...

But their button is bigger than mine…

You really think I care about “bigger” buttons, I’m not in the button shrinking business, I’m not a button growth comparison chart kind of Guy. I just did this to allow you to see what’s inside you – I already knew…

I’m learning some side benefits of fasting, as we choose to give up something under our control – He is enabled to remove something that is under His control. Surprisingly, it's usually something totally unrelated. As we fast, the atmosphere around us and within us gets churned up…the “stuff” is revealed. This atmosphere or environment is rich with nutrients and spiritual activity– the perfect combination for growth and change. You see, it isn’t about coffee or wine or even pancakes…it’s about Him…Will you set aside something you couldn’t live without yesterday for a chance to live a changed tomorrow?

Are you ready to go deeper?

This is the latest E-letter from John Paul Jackson, once again God captures my heart...

Fighting Fear

By John Paul Jackson

Truthful and forthright people will tell you that when they are angry, they hear very little from God; when they are fearful, they hear very little from God. The more emotional we are, the less consistently we hear — or we begin to “hear” things that go against what we know God is or what He has told us in the past.
So we need help in removing hindrances to our hearing from God. When we begin to remove rejection, insecurities and these types of things, automatically our gifts are going to start looking a whole lot stronger than they ever did. They didn’t get stronger; we just removed the things that were hindering them. What’s the best way to remove fear, insecurity, shame and other hindrances to our gifts? Intimacy with God.

Letting Go of Fear
Just by being with God, we are asking Him to remove our walls. We are asking Him to align our soul with His. We are asking to become one spirit with Him. We are asking to be made holy, which is to be made like Him. All of these happen when we spend time with Him.
But the process can be difficult, especially because one of the things we want to remove actively works to keep us from doing so. Fear is the chief barrier that blocks us from real intimacy with God. It keeps us from completely surrendering our lives to Him and being able to walk fully into our destiny.

Hiding from God — Fear’s First Step
Fear is not just the enemy of intimacy; it is the assassin. In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve committed the first sin in human history, they hid themselves because they felt ashamed; they were afraid to let God see them. How many times do we do that same thing? We’re afraid of what He might say when He sees us, the judgment He may pass on us, if we allow Him to say what’s on His heart.
Because Adam and Eve were responding out of fear, the first thing they did was erect small walls in the form of clothing to keep God at a distance — to keep Him from seeing who they really were. They put up barriers that yelled, “Keep away! We don’t know if we can trust You anymore.” But obviously, it wasn’t God who had changed in those few moments.

What You Need to Remember
Here’s the thing we need to remember about fear: It will lie to us and distort everything we feel. If we allow it to do so, it will convince us that self-protection is more important than releasing our heart, including every hidden thing, to God and being romanced by Him. Fear will attempt to tell us whatever it can in order to keep us from letting go of the things we are convinced God does not want to know.
But we shouldn’t be afraid of God. His intent is not to kill us. It is to have us. During this Christmas season, remember His heart for you. Remember that He sent His Son to save the world, not to condemn the world — that means you. While you were deep in sin, He loved you enough to come to Earth and be born for you; He loved you enough to die for you. Could He love you any less now? NO! Don’t let the enemy push you around anymore! Know the truth. Embrace it, and it will set you free.

Happy Birthday, Baby!!!

Today (12/28) is my beautiful wife's birthday. Please drop her a line or leave her a comment on her blog.

She will spend the day as any princess would, breakfast in bed served by dashing 10 and 12 year old waiters. She placed her order before they went to bed. Girl movie day with her favorite chicks (a five hour mini series). An elegant dinner with a dashing gentleman, Monterossos for all you would be dashing gentlemen. Then gifts and a quiet evening by the fire...

I tried to give her the gifts early, but our incredible kids reminded me that birthdays are only one day long in our family, not an entire week...

G'night honey - I love you. Hope you have a great day.

Cyberspace for the kicking and screaming

Maybe this should be titled, "Confessions of a Blog Voyeur". It's true, I've been surfing blogs for years now - even left a comment or two, yeah I think two. Blog surfing has become a way for me to stay feeling connected while still remaining anonymous. Come along with me as I transition from voyeur to blogger...blame it on the new Mac...