When Heaven is More Real Than the Stones...

Thoughts are a funny thing... They are either affected by what is happening in our bodies or in our spirits. In the past ten months, my body has gone through six surgeries, six rounds of chemotherapy, and so far twenty-three rounds of radiation. Needless to say, it's been a battle trying to keep what's happening to my body from overwhelming my thought life. And to be honest, there have been times, especially recently, when I've momentarily lost the will to fight that battle...

So, what caused me to temporarily lose the will to fight? It's simple, really: I shifted my focus from what God, through the Holy Spirit, was saying and doing in my heart, to the pain I was feeling in my physical body. Let's face it, physical pain is real - and it can be real intense. But, when I focus on my physical pain, it is difficult, if not impossible, for me to experience the reality that I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven. What's more, I don't have to wait until I get to heaven to experience these blessings!

It's been God's plan from the beginning to unite all things in Him (Jesus), things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:10) In fact, Jesus prayed, "on earth as it is in heaven." It's not that we get to go to heaven one day, but that we have the capacity to experience heaven here - right now!

No, I haven't lost my mind! The truth is that it is no longer me living in this body, but Jesus living in me and through me. (Galatians 2:20) And in Jesus, the fullness of God the Father dwells bodily, and we have been filled in Him. (Col. 2:10) No matter what I may be experiencing physically in my body, the truth is that if I focus on what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my heart, I will see and experience heaven here on earth.

Case in point, in the Book of Acts, we read about the stoning of Stephen. While Stephen's body was being pummeled by rocks, he hardly noticed because he had his eyes and thoughts fixed on Jesus. (Act 7:55) And because Stephen was focused on God, he saw Jesus standing at God's side in heaven. (Acts 7:56) Stephen wasn't dead when he saw/experienced heaven - he was very much alive with his feet firmly planted on this earth. Stephen could have focused on the incredible physical pain he was experiencing from the barrage of rocks bruising his flesh and breaking his bones. Instead, he chose to focus on Jesus - the One God planned from the beginning to unite all things in heaven and earth. His choice to focus his thoughts on Jesus allowed him to see Jesus standing at God's side. Every other biblical reference to the risen Christ indicates He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. Stephen saw something no one else has ever seen!!!

For Stephen, heaven was more real than intense pain of the stones striking blow after blow on his physical body. Just a thought: What would our lives look like today if heaven was more real than the stones of sickness, disease, etc. afflicting our physical bodies today?