Air Superiority, Part 2
In yesterday’s post, I spoke of spiritual “air superiority,” the power and authority the church has been given with which to defeat the powers of darkness. The Scriptures speak of these invisible, dark forces as operating in “heavenly places”. This realm does not refer to heaven, God’s home, but to the invisible spiritual realm around us. It is the unseen realm of the spirit – invisible yet real, hidden yet very active. Much of what takes place on earth is influenced by this dimension; certainly, anything of eternal significance or that regulates the destinies of people and nations is influenced by it.
However, most people, including Christians, give little thought to this unseen world. Many people, especially in cultures that emphasize higher education and intellectualism, are actually cynical of its existence. But the Bible is filled with descriptions and accounts of this realm. In fact, apart from this invisible spiritual dimension, there is no God, satan, angels, demons, the fall of humankind, the birth of Christ, redemption through the Cross, miracles, or resurrection of the dead. Yet again, surprisingly, most American Christians live their lives without considering how much this realm affects us, let alone how we can influence it.
Several years ago, I was led by Holy Spirit to read five separate verses in Ephesians that contain the phrase “heavenly places,” and do so consecutively, without the verses in between them. What I found was fascinating; here are the 5 verses (I’ll give the references after I read them):
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. And raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
This sounds like one uninterrupted passage of Scripture, doesn’t it? It is actually Ephesians 1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, and 6:12. I became fascinated as I read them consecutively, realizing they provided a continuity of thought. In summary, they tell us: We have been given everything we need in order to operate in heavenly places; Christ has been given all authority in this realm; we have been seated there with Him in that position of authority; through us, from our position there with Christ, God intends to manifest His wisdom to the kingdom of darkness; finally, the last verse describes that evil kingdom, listing its various components, and referencing our spiritual warfare against them.
As I meditated on these verses from Ephesians, Holy Spirit began showing me that I was not cognizant enough of this invisible realm–heavenly places. It was not a new subject to me. I had been aware of it for many years and realized we could influence it through our prayers and actions. But Holy Spirit was revealing to me that, even so, I was not as conscious of this dimension as I needed to be.
I saw more clearly that, to be as effective as possible in changing situations on earth, I had to understand more fully how this heavenly realm affected them. Conversely, I needed a better understanding of how I could impact the invisible world. It became obvious to me that the invisible, spiritual realm was central to the Bible’s overall theme – two invisible kingdoms warring for control of our visible world. I arrived at the following deduction: The more we understand the invisible spiritual realm and apply its governing principles, the more we can partner with God, positively impact our world, avoid the snares and influence of the evil one, and enjoy the blessings of our salvation. The following account of Elisha and his servant gives us a vivid glimpse of this unseen realm:
“When the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Strike these people with blindness, I pray.’ So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-18 NASB)
The invisible angelic forces were there all along – Elisha’s servant simply could not see them until enabled to do so by Holy Spirit. And so it is with us. We, too, live in a world filled with constant angelic and demonic activity. Our natural eyes, however, simply cannot perceive this activity; it must be discerned through the help of Holy Spirit.
If we, as God’s instruments on earth, are to be completely effective in prayer, we must understand and learn how to influence this spiritual realm. We must move beyond our fear of the unknown - and of criticism - and align ourselves with Scripture. Jesus is our example, and He frequently dealt with invisible powers in these “heavenly places.” He was aware of them, engaged them when appropriate, and His presence stirred up demonic opposition everywhere He went.
The early church in Acts did so as well, enforcing Christ’s victory over the forces of darkness. It is inconsistent to declare we are Bible-believing followers of Christ if we refuse to acknowledge and confront the invisible kingdom of darkness. A failure to do so greatly hinders us.
Tomorrow, we will look once again at our “air superiority” over satan’s plans and activities. The prayers and decrees of the Ekklesia, the church, are decimating his strongholds around the world, but we have yet to reach our most effective level. A glorious church is arising, one that the gates (government) of hell cannot prevail against.
Pray with me:
Father, You knew building a glorious and undefeatable church would take time. You would have to overcome the spiritual ebbs and flows of history, deal with weaknesses and flaws in Your people, and build the church layer upon layer - through seasons of restoration and renewal. Thank You for not giving up on us in seasons of deception, apostasy, and lukewarmness. Your commitment to this promise - and to us - has been remarkable.
The gospel of Jesus Christ has now spanned the globe, and You have believers on every continent. And yet, You said that You would have them in every tribe, tongue, and nation. And so You will. It is an overwhelming pleasure to be alive at a time when we have progressed so close to the fulfillment of this stated goal. Likewise, it is thrilling to see Your Ekklesia on earth move ever closer to becoming the glorious church Jesus spoke of. We long to see all of this finished.
Please release a world-changing outpouring of our powerful Helper, Holy Spirit. Cause it to be transforming in every way: salvations, miracles, great revelation of You and Your Word, cities and nations transformed. Let it be epochal.
Here in America, anoint our leaders, enabling them to walk in truth and wisdom. Guide them continually, keeping them from making wrong turns or encountering detours. Foil every plan of satan in this nation, exposing his evil systems, structures, and plans. We release our spiritual weapons now and bind his efforts in our nation. In Jesus’ name we pray all these things. Amen.
Our decree:
We declare that the glorious church Jesus spoke of is being built, one that will enforce His victory around the world.
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