A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


June 3, 2016

Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

     If you are still sticking with me on this new direction of my blog, then I'm assuming that you agree with me that we are engaged in spiritual warfare.  I also figure that you believe we are battling unseen, spiritual enemies that seek to rob us of our peace in this world and our eternal security in the next --- both of which are found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
     I assure you that if you identify with me on these points, we are among the minority of those who share our Christian faith.  But knowing these principles doesn't make us exempt from attacks or necessarily free of bondage.  We know that ultimate victory will be ours when Jesus returns, but we still have to learn battle strategies to defeat the enemy in the conflicts and assaults we will find ourselves in on this side of Glory.  I'd like to take the time to talk about one of these strategies today.
     As I have shared with you in the past, my husband and I, through Divine inspiration, have been introduced to a ministry concept that involves us partnering with Jesus to help accomplish deliverance from spiritual wounds.  That word, "Deliverance", is not a widely understood or accepted idea in the Modern Church, and I find that rather peculiar, to be honest with you.  First of all, the prophets of the Old Testament declared that the Lord was their Deliverer (from slavery and bondage in Egypt) and foretold of a Deliverer who would come forth from Zion to set them free for all time.  All four Gospels of the Bible were written with different audiences in mind, and give slightly different details about geography and people.  But all four are vital to the New Testament's purpose of proving that Jesus is the Messiah, is the Savior, is the Redeemer God who came to save His people from their sins ... He is the Divine Deliverer for all who seek Him.
     But remember, Jesus is all about relationship, and He needs us to partner with Him; to learn how to interact with Him on a spiritual level (since He is no longer present on the earth).  He isn't interested in waving a magic wand and handling all our problems for us, while we sit like robots, waiting for the hurt to go away... not that He couldn't do that if He so desired.  But He's all about relationship!  If we are to defeat the attacks launched against us, we must work with Him and incorporate Him into our strategy.  So how do we learn to do that?  One of the techniques that I have learned to help myself (and others), in our spiritual battles, has its roots deep in Scripture.
     How many times throughout the Bible does Jesus refer to "eyes that see" and "ears that hear"?  In fact, He often extends an invitation ... "He who has ears to hear, let him hear"!  "He who has eyes to see, let him see"!  On one level, Jesus is definitely talking to those who had the opportunity to discern who He was because He stood before them in the flesh, declaring the words of the prophets who had described the Deliverer who was to come.  He was challenging them to put their knowledge and their faith to work and to recognize that their Deliverer was present.
    As often as not, Jesus also referred to unseeing eyes and unhearing ears to give warning of the spiritual blindness of those who could not -- or would not -- recognize Him.  They refused to see His miracles as evidence of the Father who had sent Him; or to see that He fit the description of the Messiah, the Deliverer that had been prophesied.  Additionally, they rejected His message from God; would not hear Him, and their hearts were hardened and they could not understand who He was.   These are valid and true interpretations of Scripture and Jesus warns that those who have "eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, dwell in the midst of a rebellious house" (Ezekiel 12:2).  Is it possible that, like the rebellious House of Israel, the modern Church has eyes, but refuses to see; and ears, but refuses to hear?
     This simple supposition -- that God made us with eyes to see Him, and ears to hear Him -- lies at the heart of what He wants to accomplish as our Deliverer ... to set us free from satan's bondage, and to heal us.  And, as the Holy Spirit has shown me, it is our ability to see Him and hear Him in that invisible, spiritual realm that can effectively deliver us out of the clutches of the enemy.   You see, His ability to deliver us is not confined to a single event at our conversion, or His return at the End of Days.  And it is most certainly not confined to this physical realm.  As Christians, we believe that He is with us at all times.  He said so ... "I will never leave you, nor forsake you".  That means He won't ever abandon us, or leave us stranded or alone to deal with the enemy's attacks.  That means He is available to us, in the here and now, to help us wage war in the invisible realm, and against the invisible spirits satan sends against us.
     You see, I have experienced and seen the power of Jesus to Deliver and Heal when Christians are able to surrender to Him, and see Him and hear Him.  I have witnessed Christians who recognize they are under spiritual attack, and who are able to suspend the doubt and unbelief fostered by the Church.  They are willing to invite Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be present, and to allow their own spirit to interact with the Divine.  They are able to "see" Jesus in the events of their lives that have generated fertile ground upon which the Enemy can wage war and enslave them.  I have witnessed a person being able to "see" that Jesus was present during physical abuse, or an abandonment, or any act that wounded their spirit.  And they have been able to "hear" Him say that He not only took the abuse with them, but washed them clean by the power of His blood, and hear Him say He loves them.  It all happens in the spiritual realm, where our spirit communes with Jesus and the Holy Spirit -- our spirit can actually "picture" or "see" Jesus and hear Him as He heals us.  It's no different than the experiences the writers in the Bible describe.  Jesus is the same today as He was then, and He can be seen and heard the same today as He was then --- all it takes is for us to believe!
     Now, I understand that many in the Church cannot accept that this concept is Scriptural.  But He clearly says in Matthew 13:15:  For the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.  Doesn't that describe a "rebellious house"; a Church and Body of Christ who have dulled their hearts and minds and spirits to the possibility of a supernatural and invisible spiritual realm in which Jesus can commune with our spirits and heal us?
     He asks us to "understand" and "turn" to Him so He can heal us.  We Christians talk about "turning" to Him, but I think we have limited ourselves to reaching for Him in our minds and our hearts, and how we live our lives in the physical world.  Why do we restrict ourselves from reaching for Him in the spiritual realm?  Isn't that where He resides?  Why are we limiting ourselves?
     All I can tell you is that I have seen lives changed ... when a person who has been in bondage since childhood is able to experience the presence of Jesus and hear Him set her free from all the lies and deception the devil has heaped upon her; when the Holy Spirit serves as Guide and Comforter and shows that person how Jesus sees her -- washed white and in His embrace.  There is a weight lifted off souls and spirits that can only come from interacting with our Deliverer; through seeing Him and hearing Him in our spirits.   I truly believe that this is another dimension of what the Word is telling us; another example of the immensity and magnitude of Jesus's ability to deliver us and heal us.  It is not to be dismissed lightly or carelessly, and He and His Power to deliver are not to be restricted by our limited understanding.

Ephesians 3:20-21    "Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen."


   

8 comments:

  1. Belle, I understand we have power and authority but I am really unclear and unsure about how to properly execute. Will you be doing ant step by step How to's on engaging demons or spirits. I agree with the scripture but Im not confident to try it! Thanks. Its OK if Im asking too much

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    1. Thank you for having the courage to ask this question! And I am going to give you a simple answer today, but will write a more detailed blog in the near future. Executing your power and authority over demons or spirits can be as simple as saying, "In the Name of Jesus, I bind the spirit of ____! Get out!" Just as in our salvation process, it is a learning and growing experience. My husband and I began by training with Dr. Charles Kraft, who has written two excellent books that I recommend: "Two Hours to Freedom" and "Defeating Dark Angels". He provides a very Biblical understanding of how our authority from Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit works in a believer's life, and gives you a method to cast out demons/spirits. I also recommend that you google and study the Sozo Ministry, which is very similar to Dr. Kraft's methods. I have found that having a method to work by when you first start doing deliverance ministry helps you to become confident in the authority and power that comes from Jesus. Then as you mature and bear fruit in your ministry, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will begin to show you where they can use you to help set the captives free. One word of caution: we must not be afraid to execute the authority and power Jesus has given us, but we must first remember that it is to be done in HIS name, and under HIS authority and HIS power. Never try to engage with the spiritual realm under your own authority. Also, there are different levels and ranks of demons, and only by working with Jesus and the Holy Spirit can you hope to defeat them. It is His authority and power guiding us through the indwelt Holy Spirit that is able to bind and cast out the demons. But I would recommend that you do some studying and research so that you know how it all works within the Biblical framework shown us by Jesus. I hope that answers your question.

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    2. 100% agree with you on the spiritual warfare, have read a variety of books on the subject and been involved in some small prayer efforts. One caution I would give, from several sources I have read: when you are stepping out for the Lord in spiritual warfare, you'd better be living a clean, sin-free, repentance-filled holy life, because you literally cannot have any "dirt" on you when you encounter demons, because they will accuse and hurt those who are trying to evict them. You should be praying long hours, deep in the Scripture, fasting, confessing your sins and have nothing hidden before the Lord, as well as have good prayer cover from friends and fellow Christians. A good solider is armed, trained, ready and not distracted...same for us when in spiritual warfare for healing and for souls. Keep on writing, Belle!

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    3. You are absolutely right, and thank you for adding this admonishment! Stepping out for the Lord in this spiritual war is nothing to be taken lightly. Both my husband and I have trained with people who are highly educated and experienced in spiritual warfare, and both of us went through a deliverance ourselves, in order to do just as Anonymous has suggested -- confessing our sins and those done against us, repenting, and asking for forgiveness where needed and accepting the healing from Jesus in order that we might forgive those who have harmed us. I highly recommend that everyone seek deliverance to take away any advantage the enemy might try to exert over you. We also have a committed and educated group of prayer warriors that are always ready to cover us with prayer whenever we are being attacked or go into battle. It does not have to be a scary venture, but Anonymous is correct ... we need to be properly armed, trained, ready, and knowledgeable about what is involved. Again, I am thankful for this wise comment!

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  2. Hello - as a retired chemistry teacher, it has always been my joy to " see " into this invisible realm ! Particularly when we discuss the EMR ( electromagnetic spectrum ) it has always been so clear what this realm is all about. To realize that all the colors of the rainbow are in a beam of white light - and that this represents only an infinitesimally small portion of what we can actually see ( or think we see ! ) is beyond awesome ! Most people only know of the ROYGBIV portion and naturally assume it is that simple. " Here to tell ya ", that such, is not the case - there are billions of individual identifiable discrete wavelengths that we can use ---- IF WE HAVE EYES THAT SEE AND EARS THAT LISTEN !

    Wish I had the opportunity to show everyone this !
    Thanks for a good post and keep persevering.
    Hebrews 11:1,3

    RB

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    1. Thank you for such a unique perspective! I am currently studying all the dimensions in which God works and it is mind-blowing to discover His Sovereignty and the magnitude of His greatness. Oh, how I wish I had encountered a chemistry teacher such as yourself -- to have that spiritual realm opened up and to contemplate the presence of God within the scope of Science, would be amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your distinctive viewpoint!

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  3. How I long to have this kind of personal walk with Jesus. I know it could be so. I've read it in the scriptures, seen it evidenced in the lives of other believers, and hear it preached from the pulpit regularly.
    In my mind I can imagine what it could be like. To be free from the bondage of addiction and all the deception that goes with it and live the rest of my life in sweet fellowship with Jesus. I know there is nothing like it. And boy oh boy am I ready to live that life.
    I start to gather up all the garbage that's weighing me down. I say "Lord, I'm coming to lay all this at your feet, cause I don't want it anymore."
    But then, I don't know what happens. I get distracted. And I can't see clearly anymore. And I realize all the trash that I gathered is really heavy and there is so much. I don't know how to get rid of it all. So I dont. I smile and pretend everything just fine.
    This has been a battle I have been fighting over and over again for what seems like a really long time. And it sickens me to realize that all this time I have been taking on evil spirits, meanwhile wondering why I'm not growing closer to God.
    I hope this made sense and Sorry if this is too heavy for the comment section, but I know there is a spiritual battle going on here and any scriptural advice would be helpful.
    Thank you for your article

    Christina

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    1. Christina, first of all i want you to understand that you've taken the most important step by recognizing that you are in a spiritual battle. Now you need to learn how to fight! The key to winning any spiritual battle is to partner with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the fight. When we ask God to just take away all our garbage, we are not using the authority that Jesus transferred to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit... and the demons don't respect us or fear us. And they should because we have the power of Jesus indwelling us and the authority of His Name upon us! And they tremble at that Name and they know that His power can destroy them! So you have to learn how this dynamic works in the spiritual world and take authority over these spirits that are oppressing you. As Scripture tells us, we are co-heirs with Christ -- now, and here on earth. The oppressing spirits of addiction and deception are able to distract you from exerting your authority and power (in the name of Jesus) because you are not aware you even have it! Does that make sense? I would recommend that you purchase two books by Dr. Charles Kraft: "Defeating Dark Angels" and "Two Hours to Freedom". They are both Scripture-based and will give you a good picture of how this exercising of our authority and power works. And then I would recommend that you go through a deliverance before beginning any spiritual battle. We cannot engage with the enemy if there is anything in us that can be used against us. By letting Jesus deliver us and heal our spiritual wounds, we can then be ready to work with Him in setting ourselves and others free. if you would like more information about deliverance and how that can be accomplished, please contact me at belle@salvationandsurvival.com. I applaud your courage in reaching out and I want you to know that Jesus DOES want you set free. I hope you will begin by reading Dr. Kraft's books, comparing them with Scripture and taking the next step forward. I will be praying for you!

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