Rabbi Schneider - How to Live Beyond the Natural
We need to pray for revelation of this scripture. Paul said that we've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus". Unfortunately, too, oftentimes, we're looking to be blessed but we're not looking for the spiritual blessings that Paul promised that we've been blessed with. We're looking for material blessings. We're looking for the blessings of the world. But the Scripture tells us, all that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but from the world.
Now, thank God that He blesses us with the good things from the earth. But that's not what our focus should be on. Our focus should be on entering into the fullness of the experience of the spiritual blessings that we've been blessed with. So listen to the Scripture once again. I'm going to speak slowly. Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus".
What are these blessings? First of all, love. That love is a spiritual blessing that we receive because we're filled with the Holy Spirit, because we're in Christ Jesus, I don't know about you, but when I came into relationship with God, I immediately noticed a deeper love in my heart for people, particularly my family, which has been, unfortunately, a very difficult relationship because of my faith as a Jewish person in Jesus. But I remember so distinctly, in those days, the love I had for my father when God brought me into a relationship with Himself. And God empowers us to love people. And to live in love is to live in victory, because love is glory.
So what are the spiritual blessings? It's love, it's power. Jesus said, "You'll be baptized in the Ruach HaKodesh, in the Holy Spirit, and you shall receive power". It's the power to overcome. It's the power to overcome difficulties. It's the power that transforms us. It's joy. Jesus said, "My joy I give to you and My peace I give to you". That we have a joy, beloved, that the world can't give. I'm not saying that we always feel happy. But there's a difference between feeling happy all the time and having an inner sense of purpose and joy and mission and a knowing inside that gives us joy, despite how difficult life can be, and peace. There's an anchor in our soul. Yeshua Himself has possession of our soul and keeps us even through the storms. Love, and joy, and peace, and power, and wisdom as we pray for it.
I want to encourage you today, beloved, let's seek for the greater things. Let's seek for the greater blessing. Too many of God's people are wanting to make God like a magic Genie. They want to use God so that they can receive the American dream, so they can be happy, healthy, wise. You know, all these things are fine. But let's see for the things that really matter-things that can't be taken away from us. Because at the end of the day, the things that really matter are things that can't be bought. Scripture says to us that we have these things in Christ Jesus, but we need to seek them. We need to seek for the right things so that we can enter into them and experience them in a more conscious way. Beloved, I speak God's love over you today, His peace over you today, I speak soundness of mind over you today, and everything that has been granted to you in Christ Jesus.