So this morning I was reading in 2 Kings, and let me just say WOW!  Check it out…

When the servant of the man of God got up 
and went out early the next morning, 
an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. 

“Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered.
“Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” 
Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, 
and he looked and saw the hills full of horses 
and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 
~~2 Kings 6:15-17~~

God sure was speaking…at times, faster than this ole girl’s chubby little fingers could type. Hope you can follow my rambling…haha.

I think it’s very telling that Elisha did not pray that God would change anything in the situation. His only request was that his servant could actually see the REALITY of the situation. We face situations everyday that to the eye (human perception) seem quite hopeless and fearful. But as followers of The Lord Most High, there is ALWAYS more to every situation than meets the eye.  The question is then, do I walk by faith or by sight?  Do I choose to view life and all that it brings through the eyes of faith, or through human reasoning?  Am I spiritually minded, or am I functioning according to the flesh?  

Ephesians 1:3 tells me that because we are followers of Christ, we have been blessed “in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ“, and that “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). 

God’s desire for us is that we no longer walk “according to the course of this world,” but according to the life that Christ paid so dearly for us to have.  God desires us to walk “in that newness of life.” Since we have been seated with God in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that means we have the opportunity to live a life where the privileges of heaven are dispensed, where the air of heaven is breathed, where the fellowship and the enjoyment of heaven are known, where an elevation of spirit is experienced as if heaven has begun. 

So, why is it that so many believers are living lives of fear and defeat?  

It’s all about perception. In every situation there is the perceived reality of what my eyes can “see”, but there is also the absolute reality of what “IS” spiritually.  The question is, “where I am going to allow my mind to dwell?“ Colossians 3:1 teaches, “...if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. SET YOUR MIND on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”  CHOOSE to see things through God’s eyes.  His “take” on every situation is the ONLY true reality. 

GOD’S TAKE ON EVERY SITUATION IS THE ONLY TRUE REALITY. 

You see, the previous lack of perception on the part of Elisha’s servant did not make the reality of the spiritual army any less real. It’s just that his lack of spiritual perception left him in a state of fear and panic. As believers we are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 2:7). In the Greek, “not by sight” means “not by appearance.” Our life is to be governed by faith, not by the outward appearance of present things.  

Faith is not a “pie in the sky” imagining of things unreal; rather, it is the grasp of things which cannot necessarily be demonstrated to the senses, but which are very much real.  The chariots of horses and fire were actually there.  There is an invisible guard of angels that encompass and defend us. “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7). 

The opening of the eyes, which Elisha prayed for, were those of the spirit, not of the body. The eye of faith sees the reality of the divine presence and protection, where to the ordinary, human eye, there’s nothing there. 

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; 
rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. 
For the things we see now will soon be gone, 
but the things we cannot see will last forever” 
~~2 Corinthians 4:18~~ 

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. 
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 
We demolish arguments and every pretension 
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, 
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” 
~~2 Corinthians 10:3-5~~ 

Whatever your situation, whatever you are “feeling” about your situation, whatever you are “fearing” about your situation, you have a CHOICE to make. Will you surrender to the illusion that the evil one is trying to sell you ~~ OR ~~ will you take those thoughts and feelings of defeat and fear captive and find rest in the protection and provision of the God of angel armies Who is ALWAYS by your side??