The so-called ‘real’ world is very real to us – in fact, the evidence of our senses makes it almost overwhelmingly ‘Real’. We are assailed daily by sights and sounds that overwhelm thinking and attention, to the point where all else seems unreal and unimportant.
This is the truth for most people in the world today.
In point of fact, the spiritual world around us has a huge influence on our lives and what we make of them. I am sure we have all read somewhere about guarding the eye and ear gates – but few realize how vitally important this is.
Before I get onto more on that topic, I want to address the reality of the spiritual world as evidenced in just a couple of scriptures.
Spiritual World Revealed
- In the story of the prophet Elisha during the war between Israel and the Arameans, the king of Aram planned to capture Elisha because he was advising the king of Israel on war tactics, and so he surrounded Elisha at Dotham, with mass troops. “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 15-17)
- Daniel, who wrote one of the most prophetic books in the Bible, was given a rare vision into the spiritual warfare that goes on around us. He describes an experience by the River Tigris after praying for his people for 3 weeks, when an angel appeared to him and said: “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince [ie spiritual power or principality] of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief angels, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (Daniel 10:12-14 – my insertion) Incidentally, the prophecy that followed proved to be true.
The Eye and Ear Gates
Few people (even Christians) are aware how important it is to guard the eye and ear gates of their souls. The Enemy many years ago seized control of the TV Media – a truly disastrous move for humans – and we are now beginning to realize the fullness of that in the current Mainstream Media domination of the airwaves. The United States Presidential Election is a prime example of how Satanic influences through TV can warp and corrupt true knowledge. Now American patriots are struggling to reverse the disastrous effects of this infiltration on their media and their country.
People have become hooked on being ‘entertained’, on sitting down in front of the TV screen at the end of their day with a beer and a bunch of popcorn to chill out. They have come to think of this as their ‘right’ and ‘relaxation’ after a day’s hard work.
Nothing could be further from the truth. It is not a relaxation, it is a TRAP.
Even if you are not fully paying attention, what comes out of that screen, in the form of hatred, violence, smut – even pornography these days – not only affects your mind, soul and spirit, it leaves an imprint on the atmosphere of your home and the airwaves around you (by way of analogy, think of EMFs). This infiltration is the spiritual reality that powerfully influences your life and the life of your family. Children are especially vulnerable.
The more of this stuff you hear and see, the less spiritually sensitive you become. Satan is busy dumbing down the world to his level. The more he can influence you subliminally in this way, the easier it is for him to win you over into real sin.
And it is VERY hypnotic.
In my early years in the ‘70’s I had no television. I can clearly recall visiting friends who had a TV and because I was new to it, I found it very hard to drag my eyes away from the screen. Imagine how this affects children – and the fact that they (and adults) become ‘impervious’ to it is actually not a good thing.
This is the way to lose all discernment and spiritual sensitivity. Beware!
I lived with a TV for a short time in the late ‘70’s, and for 17 years up to 2004 – with limited exposure – mainly news, news commentary and a couple of TV serials. I found even in that, there was much that I just could not stomach, and finally in 2004 I quit TV altogether. No regrets!
I heard a very interesting commentary on Jesus healing the blind man at Bethsaida in Mark 8 yesterday, and the way this healing was explained illustrates my point. The scripture reads:
“He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don’t go back into the village.’” (Mark 8:23-26)
The commentary suggested that the reason Jesus took this man out of the town was to get him away from the carnality of his spiritual surroundings. That makes excellent sense to me – especially bearing in mind the influence the spiritual blindness of the people of Nazareth had earlier on Jesus’ ministry there (Mark 6:1-5).
We need to commit to becoming more aware of how our spiritual sensitivity affects the outcomes in our lives.
Carnality is a huge trap. It is actually the beginning of the end. Jesus left His followers in no doubt of the terrible dangers of the slippery slope. Read His words at Matthew 5:27-30 and take them seriously. What He is talking about is not ‘divine retribution’, it is the result of Satan’s wiles acting on the human mind and heart.
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