Enjoying The Best Of 2 Worlds (Part II)

When I first became born again, I was very much heavenly conscious. The consciousness of heaven was so much that I didn’t want to be bothered by any earthly thing. How can I think of marriage/ plan for kids when Jesus will soon come? To think of a distant future then was to think of the mundane and become carnal. I still remember a couple of friends who were not as moderate as me. They really went far with preparation for heaven. They were so heavenly conscious that they became earthly useless! I like to refer to them as the 12’ O Clock believers. Both the long and the short arm are facing upwards. There are some other believers that are 6.30 O’clock believers. Both hands are facing downwards. They are so earthly conscious that they become irrelevant to heaven. All they live for are the pleasure of this world – what we will eat and drink and what we will wear. Both hands are facing
downwards. I think both extremes are not okay.It will make sense to be a 6 0’clock believer, with the longer arm facing upwards (heaven) and the shorter arm facing downwards (earth). In order words, one is very heavenly conscious and still useful on earth. It’s another way of saying that one enjoys the best of both worlds! Halleluyah!

Jesus, our Lord and master is the greatest example of this. He lived life every day, constantly in touch with heaven, while being a blessing here on earth. He deployed his Spirit in a way that heaven was always with him. He lived his life (just like we all do) as an outflow of His Spirit. There is no way anyone can develop more than his/her Spirit. One of the greatest aberrations today amongst Christians is the thought or notion that their spiritual life is quite different and separate from their “other” lives. They only get “into the Spirit” when they are in church/fellowship, praying or reading the Bible. They deny themselves the opportunity to enjoy the best. Listen. Your academics is not separate from your spiritual life. Yes, it is not. When you live life as an outflow of your spirit, your academics will have no choice but to conform. Then, you live a supernatural life.

How do you bring heaven down? How do you command the supernatural in your life on a daily basis? How do you deplore your spirit to experience God in all aspects of your life? How do you command the manifest presence of God? How do you make sure you enjoy the best of heaven on earth on a continuous basis?

- Live a life of Worship

An atmosphere of worship is an atmosphere for the miraculous. When you surround yourself with an atmosphere of worship, then you bring heaven down. In 2 Chronicles 20, there is a wonderful story there on how worship can bring heaven down. The children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were going to invade Israel. The King of Israel, Jehoshaphat, cried up to heaven for direction on what to do. The instruction from the prophet was somewhat funny. Raise a choir! Let people sing and worship! Can you imagine how easy is it to sing when you are faced with double barrel guns and AK riffles? I bet it wasn’t an easy task. However, as they worshipped, heaven came down! The Lord set ambush against the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.They faced themselves and destroyed one another. Without raising a sword, shooting an arrow or a gun, the children of Israel won the battle.

Learn to surround yourself with an atmosphere of worship. Play worship tapes in your car. Play them in the house. Let it be the most popular on your laptop. Most importantly, play it in your heart. You will be amazed how heaven will come to bear on your behalf.

- Faith

Faith brings the spiritual to the physical. It makes you live a life beyond limits! The whole world was framed by faith, though the word of God. Everything on earth will still be framed/reframed by faith through the word of God. When you live a life of faith, you will witness the miraculous on a constant basis. Elisha was once such man that lived a great life of faith. Impossibility didn’t exist in his dictionary. No wander, at every point in his life, and even in his death, he commanded the supernatural. Without faith, you cannot enjoy the best of both worlds.

- Love and Compassion

One of the easiest ways to command the supernatural is compassion. Whenever love and compassion is in play, heaven comes to bear. Jesus easily enjoyed the best of heaven here on earth, because he was always moved with love and compassion. When he had compassion on 5000 men who had been following him without eating for a while, heaven stood at attention. 12 loaves and few fishes could feed all of them. That’s not natural. That is heaven coming to earth. The provision was provoked because of love and compassion. When you are moved by love and compassion, you will also provoke the supernatural.

- Holiness

Without holiness, no man shall see God, says the scriptures. Many people think that the Bible here is only talking about seeing God in heaven. Far from it. Without holiness, you will not see God move on your behalf even here on earth! God will never stand at attention on your behalf if you live a life on sin. Sin is a sinker. It is your purity that determines your authority. When a man pleases God, God places all the resources of heaven at his disposal. Do you want to bring heaven down on your behalf? Then, live straight! Live pure. You will not enjoy the best of both worlds by having one leg each in both! When you are sold out to God, then he delivers everything in his Kingdom to your hands. What a glorious opportunity.

- Obedience

First and foremost, obey God’s word. Obey the scriptures. They contain directions to bringing heaven down. Not only should you obey the Bible, you must also obey the nudging and promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Friends, you can bring heaven down. You can live a life about limits. You can enjoy the best of heaven while on earth. You can command the supernatural in your life on a daily basis. Yes, you can!

Enjoy!

Enjoying The Best Of 2 Worlds

It is 3.55p.m on a Saturday afternoon. I am sitting somewhere in the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, waiting to catch my flight back home. I always miss home whenever I travel, especially the wonderful angels under my roof! It’s been a week since I last hugged them at the airport. I can’t wait to hold them in my embrace.

So, I have spent the last one week in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s a beautiful city I suppose. Apart from the difficulty with people not being able to speak English, it was a good time. It didn’t take long before I realized that Istanbul is divided into 2 parts. It’s like having 2 different cities, with different features and lifestyles, in 1. There is the Asian side as well as the European side. You can cross over from one part to the other within an hour or two, depending on the traffic. As you do that, you will marvel at the difference that exists between both sides of the capital. It is so distinct that you won’t believe you are in the same city. The Asian side is still very much underdeveloped, more serene and things are relatively cheap there. All these changes in about 1 hour! The European side is very busy, has very high traffic like any other busy city (both human and vehicles) and things are somewhat expensive there. At Taksim Square (the most popular area of the European side), I saw a crowd that I probably have never seen in my life before. It was amazing!

I wouldn’t have bored you with the description above if I wasn’t about to make a point. The point is this - I did enjoy the best of both the Asian and European side of Istanbul in this one week. While I stayed in the Asian side and enjoyed the serenity, I went to the European side to enjoy its beauty and its many activities. I enjoyed the best of both sides. That gave me more insight into a message I once preached a couple of years back. I titled it – Enjoying the best of two worlds. Let me share some more insight on this, if you don’t mind.

It is often said that “you cannot eat your cake and have it”. It is either you eat your cake (in which case you do not have it) or have your cake (in which case you do not eat it). While I agree with the logic of the statement, I do not believe in its literal meaning. I believe strongly that one thing does not have to suffer at the expense of the other. You do not have to lose out on your health because you are pursuing wealth. You can have both. You can lead a wonderful family life while still excelling in your career. You do not have to sacrifice one for the other. In other word, you can enjoy the best of 2 worlds.

Recall that man is primarily a spirit, in the very likeness of God. Many people forget this very important fact. They think that they are physical beings who sometimes go through spiritual experiences. These experiences make them feel “high”. This is a very wrong concept. Man is a spirit. We are spiritual beings that constantly go through physical experiences. We live in 2 worlds! It is very possible to enjoy one of these worlds to the detriment of the other. I have seen very spiritual people who are not doing well here on earth. Back in the university, we had Pastors who spent 2-3 years extra in school, despite being sharp spiritually. Also, I am sure you know, or have read about, very successful business men who are “empty” in their spirit. I know highly intelligent and smart people, who you wish only knew God. These 2 extremes are aberrations. That’s not how the creator designed it. He designed both worlds to be enjoyed in a complementary manner. You do not have to suffer here on earth to make heaven. Yes, you don’t! Infact, when Jesus came, he told his listeners “Now, is the Kingdom of God come unto you”. Literarily, what he was saying is this – You don’t have to wait to get to heaven. I am bringing heaven to you here on earth! Wonderful!

There are a couple of things you need to know about the 2 worlds I am talking about

We live in both worlds simultaneously

I have tried to explain that above. Whether you realize it or not, we are living in both the spiritual and physical world simultaneously. I am sure that at least you are aware of the physical world. Be aware also that you live in the spirit. We are spirit being that goes through physical experiences.

Both worlds are active

Believe me, there is so much activity in both worlds. Again, the activity in the physical world is quite obvious. Go to major cities of the world and you will be amazed at the activity going on in the physical. I saw one at Taksim Square. From Lagos to London, to Dubai, check out the activity in the realm of the physical. What you are not aware of is this – there is much more activity in the realm of the spirit! In God’s holy book, there is a story that explains this. Elisha, a prophet, was attacked by a strong army. When his servant, Gehazi saw the multitude of soldiers in the physical, he was naturally afraid. He must have said to himself “We are finished. This is it”. However, Elisha saw differently! He told him confidently “They that are for us are greater than they that are against us”. Interesting! What Elisha saw was the activity in the spirit. There was already a host of angels dispersed to fight on his behalf. Gehazi saw only the physical and was afraid. That what happens to those who only see in the realm of the physical. They are overwhelmed by the activity therein. Those who see in the realm of the spirit know better. And because they know better, they live better. They sleep better. They live longer! There are angels in the realm of the spirit acting on your behalf!

Both worlds affect each other

Not only are both worlds active, they are mutually dependent. Can you imagine that? Whatever we do in the realm of the physical, affects heaven. Yes, it does. Let me give you an example. God’s word says “There is joy in heaven over a sinner that repents…” When we preach to a sinner here on earth, and he come to God, a party begins in heaven. Isn’t it interesting that you can cause heaven to rejoice? Let me give you yet another example. God’s word says “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound ion heaven”. You see- whatever we do on earth affects heaven, and vice versa. Shouldn’t you be more conscious of what you then do in the realm of the physical, seeing that it affects the realm of the spirit?

The Spiritual Controls the Physical

That seems to be pretty obvious but it needs to be stressed. Whether positively or negatively, the Spiritual governs the physical. Infact, nothing happens in the physical without it happening in the spirit. I have seen both sides of the spirit controlling the physical. I have seen people manipulated by demons and devils on the realm of the spirit and manifesting it in the physical. How else would you explain someone who found himself in Lagos, without knowing how and when he left London? He just left, boarded a plane and didn’t know what he was doing until he was at MMA Airport in Lagos. I once wrote an exam that ordinarily should have failed. Despite the fact that I didn’t answer the questions too well. There was a confidence in me, based on revelations in God’s word that I won’t fail. Not only did I pass, I also got a distinction. That is the spiritual controlling the physical. Heaven came to bear on earth. Listen to me friends. Until you realize that heaven rules, you will suffer here on earth. It is not in all these waking up early and sleeping late. It’s not in all the certifications and qualifications you are getting (get them anyway). It is God! It is God coming to rule on your behalf and orchestrating events in your favour!

I will have to continue this later. My boarding announcement has just been made. It is now 5.35p.m. I still have a stopover before heading home. I’ll see if I can complete this. If not, stay right on top until I see you again. Till then, enjoy the best of both worlds!