Category: Understanding The Spirit Realm

Insight into the mysteries of God in the invisible realm of the spirit.

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Understanding the Spirit Realm Pt.4

In It to Win It

She Wanted it More

It’s always a signature moment during the reception. All the single ladies gather for the toss. It’s a time of good-natured fun for most participants, but others are in it to win it!

The “in it to win it” participants are easy to spot. They start jockeying for position, and you can see the fire in their eyes. Social graces and decorum may take a back seat. When those flowers go up in the air, they know who is coming down with them.

The fans clamored for it, and they got what they wanted. ESPN opted for an early 19 April 2020 release of the 10-part documentary of Michael Jordan, entitled the Last Dance. 

“They may say he wasn’t really a nice guy, he may have been a tyrant…but I wanted to win and them to be a part of it.” -M. Jordan

There was concern among the Jordan faithful that the documentary may tarnish the legacy of the six-time NBA champion and global icon. Jordan was the most competitive athlete of his era, but many did not know the extent to which he bullied, belittled, and intimidated teammates in pursuit of titles. 

Towards the end of my career with the federal government, I asked our Department Director for his perspective on reaching senior leadership positions. He said, “you can be as successful as you want to be.” 

It took me a while, but I eventually understood his point. Allow me to rephrase his observation: you can achieve anything if you are willing to pay the price.

The Lord has been dealing with me about narrowing my focus and increasing my sense of urgency to accomplish the things He has set before me. I am being Counseled to lay aside those things not connected with purpose.

Perhaps my recent conversations with the Counselor will help you realize your dreams. I am persuaded that neither you nor I will see our desires fulfilled apart from greater determination and commitment.

The Holy Spirit is the Divine Counselor. He’s Counseling me to pick up the pace. I am passionate about the things of God, but there are levels to everything.

As trumpeter Wynton Marcellus puts it, “Everybody thinks they’re hustling until they see somebody who is really hustling.” 

I’ve got to move beyond worrying, hoping, and wishing. I must begin grappling, wrestling, and reaching. My current approach will not get me the bouquet. How about badly do you want the flowers?

I have a plan to get the title ring, but I’ve got to get my hands dirty and confront my opposition. (Ephesians 6:10-11) Mike Tyson said that everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Don’t fool yourself. You are going to get hit.

You are going to get hit. Stand and the Lord will knock your enemy to the canvas.

I just completed a Master Class by Coach Geno Auriemma. His University of Connecticut Huskies have won the NCAA Women’s Basketball title a record 11 times in his 35-year tenure. He said a lot of teams practice until they get it right. He said the goal should be to practice until you can’t get it wrong.

Extraordinary commitment and work ethic produce extraordinary outcomes. You’ve got to be in it to win it.

We must combat the passivity of Western church culture and embrace the activity that is a principle of the Kingdom of God which expands because people Go and Do. (Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15-18) 

Her face tells the whole story

We can catch the bouquet and wear the ring of a champion. We can rise to positions of influence. We can be exceptional in life, but not without extraordinary determination, and commitment. Being casual about our pursuits will not get us there. We must be in it to win it. God Bless! Press On!! Kevin Willis

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The Supernatural Part II

The Ancient Book of Secrets & Miracles

Meesha was having a disastrous day. His Army faced destruction.  He rallied 700 armed men to create an escape route, but his attempt failed. Desperate, he resorted to a pagan ritual in the tradition of ancient “holy” war.

King Meesha sacrificed his son -the heir to his throne- as a burnt offering to his god Chemosh in full view of the advancing Israelite Army.  Trauma seized upon Israel after observing this despicable act. The powerful Israelite Army withdrew from the battle that day and returned home. 

The Bible does not clearly explain why Israel withdrew. (2 Kings 3:27) http://cojs.org/why_king_mesha_of_moab_sacrificed_his_oldest_son-_baruch_margalit-_bar_12-06-_nov-dec_1986/

Revelation from God almost always increases in crisis times. GET READY!

He was a priest and a survivor of a prolonged siege that ended in a humiliating defeat for Israel. He and thousands of others were driven hundreds of miles into captivity by the Babylonian Army. There in a strange land, the heavens opened, and he began receiving visions from God. (Ezekiel 1:1-3)

In one striking vision, an angel appeared to him, took him by a lock of his hair, lifted him between heaven and earth, and proceeded to give him a vision of Jerusalem. Ezekiel saw wickedness throughout the city, and worse, 25 men worshipping the sun in the Temple of God. (Ezekiel 8:1-17)

As the vision concluded, Ezekiel saw God’s glory depart the Temple. Hence, the Babylonian Army returned and destroyed Jerusalem -in real life- and burned God’s Temple to the ground.

Our entertainment is saturated with supernatural themes and references.

I thought about the stories of King Meesha and Ezekiel as I was walking through the aisles at Walmart. I wondered how I could connect these two strange and mysterious stories?  I figured readers would think I’d gone crazy.

Then I came to one of the bins at Walmart filled with all of these $5 movie DVDs. Many of the DVD covers had images that were far beyond strange and mysterious.

Then I was reminded of a recent email exchange with a former student. She thanked me for what she learned in my classes and said that I was still speaking into her life through this blog, etc.

She went on to say, “I have to admit that when I first met you, I thought you were crazy.” Her observation presents an excellent opportunity for the people who know me to say AMEN!

I taught Old Testament Survey courses between 2006 and 2020. I began these classes with the following statement: “This is the best class you will ever take at this College.”

I continued, “You may think the Old Testament (OT) is boring, but I am going to show you that the OT is raw, real, and relevant. The OT is electric and pregnant with meaning.”

In the first session, the students learned that in Genesis alone, they’d encounter:

Murder by Cain (4:8; 34:25-26); Sexual intercourse between angels and humans (6:4); God’s destruction of nearly every living thing (7:23); Noah’s drunken nakedness (9:20-21); Violent homosexuality on the part of the Sodomites (19:5-6); Rebekah and Jacob’s trickery, (27:5-3); Rachel’s use of aphrodisiacs (30:15,22).

The rape of Dinah (34:2); Reuben’s incest with Bilhah (35:21) Tamar’s prostitution (38:15); Envy between  Rachel and Leah (30:1-13); Rachel’s lie about her menstrual cycle (31:34-35); Mass murder by Simeon and Levi (34:25-26); Onan spilling his semen on the ground and subsequent death (38:9-10); Slave trading involving Joseph (37:26-28).

I’d wrap things up and tell them that the primary theme of Genesis is not Creation but the beginnings of God’s plan of redemption through one man’s family: Abraham.

I always had motivated students after the first session. They realized that they’d begun a 15-week Biblical odyssey discovering truth they never knew before. 

Let me ask you a question. Did you know about King Meesha’s sacrifice or Ezekiel’s vision of idolatry in Jerusalem before you read this article? Don’t allow the most fascinating and engaging stories ever written to collect dust in your home any longer.

Greatest therapy for the soul.

I wrote this article in hopes of inspiring you to read the Bible. If you already read the Bible, my prayer is that you will read it more. If you are a new reader, consider reading a Psalm or a Proverb every day and be consistent. Over time your appetite will increase.

I believe the Lord will take us on a  journey and reveal precious truth to us, but we must have a Biblical foundation to apply this truth effectively. Faith without works is dead.

You may ask, “Brother Kevin, what about the New Testament (NT)?” Well, I also taught NT Survey. I’d begin every NT Survey class with…”NT Survey is the best class you will ever take at this College.” See why that student thought I was crazy??!! God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

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Understanding the Spirit World

What the Bible Teaches About the Invisible World

For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -2 Cor 4:18

I was watching a video biography of gospel singer BB Winans the other day. He said when he was 33 years old, he was three sizes too big, so he went to a gym, got on a treadmill, and was exhausted after two minutes.

BB Winans

Winans said it didn’t happen overnight, but he dropped the excess weight. BB is 59 now, and he works out daily. He said something profound: “If you really want therapy start exercising.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIKOkVXe_eI

Therapy: treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.

I subscribe to BB’s philosophy on exercise, which is why I went to the pool the other day to relieve the disorder of heaviness and discouragement. I was in a fog, but I’ve learned when heaviness hits, get up and move! Don’t allow yourself to become a stationary target.

The last thing I wanted to do was jump into that cold water, but I did it, and that’s when it happened.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Image

Like a flash, I realized that I had left one dimension and entered another. I had the sense that this transition was like leaving the natural world and entering the realm of the spirit.

It takes just under three minutes to transition from earth to outer space, but you can move between the natural and spiritual realms at the speed of thought. The only distance is your ability to perceive the spiritual world.

Let’s take a leap beyond my pool experience to the waters surrounding the globe. Scientists estimate that 91 percent of ocean species have yet to be classified and that more than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored.*

Let that sink in for a moment. No one doubts the existence of countless maritime species below sea level. If you are interested in exploring the expanse of space, check out a few minutes of a YouTube video by Louie Giglio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atUGBua2AzE

Now, let’s cut to the chase. The Bible speaks clearly to the existence of spiritual beings in a dimension beyond our five senses-the spirit world.

I don’t even know where to begin. God had conversations with satan in the presence of the sons of God. (Job 1 &2) All the host of heaven was present when the Lord allowed a lying spirit to mislead King Ahab. (1 Kings 22:19-23) The writer of Hebrews talked about the city of the living God where thousands upon thousands of angels dwell. (Hebrews 12:22)

The Apostle Paul reveals a hierarchy of spiritual wickedness led by satan in Ephesians 6:10-12. Much of what drives our need for therapy is a by-product of the activity of the “rulers of darkness of this world.”

The great war for the souls of men takes place in the spirit world, and I’ve got great news: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

Triumph of the Cross (1 Cor 2:8)

The Lord Jesus has ALL authority in heaven and earth. He crushed satan and his minions, making an open show of them. (Colossians 2:15) The Lord and His heavenly hosts have achieved OVERMATCH against the powers of darkness, and Jesus loves you whether you are a Christian or not.**

Well, so what?

The so what is that believers have the opportunity -indeed the call- to access and exercise God’s power from the unseen realm to accomplish His purposes on earth. Find a great illustration of this point in this familiar verse:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

May the Lord open the eyes of our understanding to see the greatness of His power to us who believe. Our world needs believers to bring God’s power to bear in this wicked and perverse generation. God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

“For through him (Jesus), God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16, NLT)

*oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ocean–species.html

**You can become a Christian. Check out the following link: https://dreamprayernetwork.com/gods-plan-of-salvation/

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Unraveling Divine Secrets

God Hides His Secrets In Plain View

Philippe Petit lays on the high wire during his walk between the Notre Dame Cathedral towers in France

Philippe Petit is a French hire wire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized walks between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973. He saved His most famous performance on 7 August 1974, when he walked between the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City.

This past Sunday, my pastor used an illustration of a high wire artist to illustrate a verse in the Bible: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

I looked up synonyms for circumspect: alert, focused, attentive, careful, and informed. So our pastor encouraged us to walk in an alert, focused, attentive, careful, and informed way. No wonder he displayed that image of a tightrope!!

This morning a gentleman sent me an email that provided great clarity. He said, “A tightrope walker uses a stick to help his balance, but we as Christians walk holding the Word (the Bible) to keep our balance.” The simplicity of his analysis struck me.

It occurred to me that God hides His secrets in plain view. What?

I learned that God hides things in the open 40 years ago. I was crying out to God with great intensity: “Lord, reveal to me who my wife will be!” I returned from my first overseas tour in Korea, a changed man, in 1978. I was a young single, sold-out Christian with a job attending church services in Washington, DC.

Few young men went to church back then, but lots of young ladies did. Well spoke Solomon of old who said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

I continued to cry out week after week. “Lord, reveal to me who my wife will be,” but nothing happened for over three years. I didn’t know that God had a secret. I did not realize that I was looking my future wife in the face every Sunday morning. She was a Sunday School student of mine, and we sang in choirs together!

The gentlemen who sent me that email about tightrope walking said that we can maintain our balance if we hold on to the word of God. I’d tell you that having a consistent prayer life will eventually unravel the most profound mysteries you will encounter. We’d both tell you that there are no short cuts and no such thing as a quick fix.

Getting fixed is not always the remedy.

I asked a medical doctor who swims in the same pool with me at the YMCA about ankle and knee replacements. He got visibly upset and struggled to put his words together. He said, “Kevin, I can’t tell you the number of people who have cursed me out after I’ve recommended lifestyle changes over other treatments. They say, “doc, just tell me how I can get fixed now!”

Last week I ran into a buddy in my neighborhood who was a financial advisor about 20 years ago. He said, “Kevin, I had to get out of the business. I could have followed company policy and made money off folks, but I couldn’t do it.

I tried to get folks to do things in their interest, but many refused. One church lady told me I was the devil because I advised her against putting all of her available savings in a church parking lot project.”

Allow me to explain why the “twin towers” of Bible reading and prayer enable us to become high wire artists.

Answer: Because God will honor your faithful obedience and begin to reveal His secrets to you. “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” (Psalms 25:14)

Facing enormous debt? Entangled in relationship issues that are like trying to unscramble eggs? Got that report from the doctor and don’t know how to proceed?

Let me encourage you that God hides His secrets in plain view. The answers you are seeking are not off in the distance but right in front of you. If you seek God with all your heart, He’ll lift you out of a horrible pit and give you a brand new start. He will reveal His secrets to you. God never fails. He’ll come through for you.

Time for some high wire acts and exploits. I believe there is a little Philippe Petit in all of you. Not just you but some of Philippe in me too! God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

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The World Beyond

Understanding the Dimension That Eyes Have Not Seen

It was television viewing in the 1960s: one black and white television that my sister and I shared. She got to watch the shows she preferred on one night then it was my turn.

She liked Star Trek with William Shatner. I like that kooky Batman series with Adam West. Fortunately, one of my favorite shows was on one of my viewing nights: “The World Beyond.”

This series offered a menu of low-budget horror flicks. These movies depicted a dark and mystical side of a world beyond our own.

The fascination with the unseen, the unknown, and other-worldly creatures saturates every aspect of popular culture, but the ironies abound.

Chief among these ironies is our inability to acknowledge much less perceive the REAL world beyond our senses. For the Christian, the fundamental premise of prayer is that it impacts the known world by leveraging powers in a dimension beyond our senses.

Allow me to make an abrupt shift here. I see these biographical series where the interviewer asks the character of interest, “what would you say to the younger version of yourself?” I am going to give it a try. What would I say to myself, the kid intrigued by mysteries of the unknown?

I’d give him a glimpse of the world that would unfold before him and then appeal to the hero he dreamed of becoming one day.

I’d tell him that fascination with the World Beyond would accelerate especially as a host of creative geniuses began appearing on the scene. People like, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, Stan Lee, the Wachowskis, etc., who would captivate global audiences of all ages.

Hans Solo’s memorable jump to lightspeed in George Lucas’ Star Wars.

I’d tell him to enjoy some their work** for their entertainment value, but to be on guard, because there is a REAL invisible world where good and evil operate. The dark side of this dimension has one primary objective: to blind people from seeing the truth. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

I’d show the younger me where it is recorded in the Bible that in God and Christ: “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:2b-3)

Then I would take him to the 10th chapter of Daniel and show him the war of supernatural beings in outer space over human events in Persia (modern-day Iraq and Iran.) I’d tell him about Elijah, who called down fire from heaven, and Elisha, who saw an invisible army in the heavens ready to annihilate a natural army coming to arrest him. (2 Kings 6:14-18)

I’d take the younger me to Ephesians 6:11-18, and expose the dark side of the World Beyond.

I’d tell him that the same God who revealed secrets to His people in the Bible would speak to him. The same God would help him choose a wife, name his children, guide him in career choices, provide for his family, and keep him healthy.

I’d tell him that God’s World Beyond has a name. It’s called the Kingdom of God.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18)

I’d tell him that Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Neo became heroes in a world of make-believe, but he could become a hero of faith in the Kingdom of God.

You must be born again if you are going to see and enter the Kingdom of God. That is what Jesus said, and that is what I’d tell the younger me. (John 3:3-8)

I’d wrap up the conversation by telling the younger me about, the older me. I’d say to the lad that I am now 60-plus years old and still have heroic ambitions. I’d encourage him to begin to dream of the unlimited possibilities of what God could accomplish through him.

Allow me to encourage you the reader to depart any fascination with the World Beyond apart from healthy entertainment because it can become a blinding influence and a distraction.

God needs people who have seen and entered the Kingdom of God to pray and seek His face for a release of His glory on earth.

Be the Neo-like (Matrix) hero in your own story.

Don’t spend your time dreaming about being the protagonist in a fake story, when you can be an Ambassador for Christ and a carrier of God’s glory.

Amen! Avail yourselves of the UNLIMITED resources in God’s Kingdom for: ”the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32b)

God Bless! Press On!! Kevin Willis

PS: Have you seen and entered the Kingdom of God? Discover how at the following link: https://dreamprayernetwork.com/gods-plan-of-salvation/

**I do not endorse all of their works. Avoid artistic representations that promote demonic/occult activity, random violence and immorality.

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The Sixth Sense

Your physical health, emotional wellness, safety, and financial stability, will become increasingly dependent on your ability to hear Him.

The Free Dictionary defines it as a power of perception seemingly independent of the five senses. A sixth sense sometimes carries a psychic association. This article has absolutely nothing to do with that.

I stood there in disbelief, trying to take it all in. It was so surreal that cold day in November 2008. I was back at Camp Casey, Korea, 30 years later. It’s a theater now, but back in 1978, it was the chapel and the place where it all began.

The Camp Hovey Chapel back in 1978 was a Theater when I visited in 2008.

I was in that chapel playing the piano when my strange new friend, Master Sergeant (MSG) White, walked in. White approached a man sitting and meditating in the chapel and started talking to him. MSG White began telling the man things about his life that he could not possibly have known. I’d never seen anything like it.

I asked MSG White what that was. He casually replied, “Sometimes the Lord will speak to your heart about another person.” Second Lieutenant Willis –me- was awe-struck, and it didn’t stop there.

It was as if MSG White had “cheat codes” -inside information- that caused people to open up about their spiritual condition. I will never forget that Saturday when MSG White opened his Bible and began reading to this one Soldier who was hanging on every word:

“O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory…But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

I sat there as a bystander listening when the strangest thing happened. Like the snap of a finger, the fear of death left me. This event took place only weeks after our Brigade Commander stated that we would be at war with North Korea in a few months.

Well, that was many years ago. MSG White did not have a “sixth sense.” He was hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13-15) Over the next eight months, I saw demons cast out of two individuals by the power of the Holy Spirit and a Korean women’s leg healed by that same power. (Acts 1:8)

Then just as I was about to leave Korea, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which I was resisting because I thought speaking in tongues sounded weird. (Acts 2:4)

I realize I gave you, the reader, a lot to unpack. Please allow me to narrow my focus and get to the point of this article.

It is imperative that you become familiar with the voice of the Holy Spirit. Your physical health, emotional wellness, safety, and financial stability, will become increasingly dependent on your ability to hear Him.

Notice what is missing on this chart. Jesus said I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b)

The great news is that God desires to reveal Himself to you. The challenge is that MANY voices are competing for your attention.

These voices can be persuasive, manipulative, and deceiving. These voices can also be wise, prudent, and informed and still lead you off course.

The Holy Spirit speaks to your heart, not your mind. You can’t always explain why you sense or know certain things.

Human reasoning often rejects revelation from the Holy Spirit; therefore, it takes courage to follow Him. Following the Holy Spirit will prove you to be exceedingly wise, but you may appear to be a fool to some in the process.

To follow the Holy Spirit is to go against the grain, swim upstream, and invite the ridicule of others. But, to follow the Holy Spirit is the pathway to God’s blessings, favor, healing, and provision.

Jesus said the world cannot see, receive or know the Holy Spirit. (John 14:17) Paul put it this way:

“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, NLT)

Don’t be lead astray in these days of trickery and deception. Ask God for wisdom and invite the Holy Spirit to speak into the decisions you make.

Cultivate sensitivity with the Holy Spirit by spending time with God and reading the Bible. Better days await you. God Bless! Press On!! Kevin Willis

PS: I have written five articles with the title How to Hear the Voice of God Parts 1-5. You can find these articles in the archives of this blog site.

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