Why Seated In Heavenly Places?

Over time, I've had many people inquire as to why I call my blog by the name: Seated in Heavenly Places. What does this have to do with real estate? It's officially become the name of our ministry too and by the way, if you are reading this, you are in ministry too, it's what you were told to do by Jesus Himself.

When I was asked to join Active Rain, a young man who knew much about the latest technologies and how the internet works was trying to get me to understand SEO and how all this internet stuff works. I politely would excuse myself and would make some sort of explanation as to why it wasn't for me. But one day, I felt that maybe I was to listen to what he had to say. He seemed to be genuine and caring for my welfare with nothing at stake, so for some odd reason, I asked him to tell me more about Active Rain.

He caught my attention with one line- "You can write about anything you want. It doesn't have to be about real estate." So I asked myself an easy question: What am I passionate about? It was easy because above all things, I really just want people to know the freedom and liberty that is in Jesus Christ. I really don't care one bit about real estate, business, money or any pursuit other than Jesus and His love for us. When I do that, He takes care of all the rest for us.

At that particular time in our lives, I was discovering Ephesians 2 and what it meant for and to us today. We had this clock in our kitchen that perfectly matched the kitchen decor'. We went away for a week and when we came home we found it had stopped. It was only a few years old so I replaced the battery and found it still didn't work. Another battery didn't make any difference and that is when I asked the Holy Spirit, "What's up with this?" That's when I found myself in Eph. 2:4-7 and mostly verse 6. ...and raised us up with Him, and seated us in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus. He was showing me that time has stopped for us. We no longer live here on this earth but are with Jesus in the Heavenly realms. We have a choice while here that we can live in the flesh and everyday life here on earth which is ruled by time and space or we can live in Heaven with Jesus. It's complicated but not too much. What we were discovering was that we are SuperHumans now with a dual citizenship. I know He wanted to show us via our kitchen clock. 

HOW DOES THIS WORK EXACTLY?

Jesus was, and is, and is to come, right? So basically Jesus is in the past, present and the future, He's outside of time. He can come and go in time as He likes. We know that He told us to let the dead bury the dead, so I doubt He spends much time with those who have gone before us, excepting the time He wanted to consult with Abraham and Elijah. He didn't walk through walls and vanish into thin air after breaking bread by ways of David Copperfield or with trickery. He is capable of doing these things because time and space no longer have any constraints on Him, all authority in Heaven and earth are His.

He also taught us that WE will do even greater things than He did. In practicality, we have the same ability to go into the future and change what will happen. It can be tomorrow, or 10 years from now but we have the ability to change the present and future and maybe the past. As I said, I think the Holy Spirit wants us dealing in the here and now and the future. We do this by living more out of our spirits that are with Christ, seated in Heavenly places. That means we should be accessing that which is ours. We can live in this world but we are to live in this world with one foot firmly planted next to Jesus on His throne. We are to operate as Jesus told us, "on earth as it is in Heaven." Is there any sickness in Heaven? Is there any sadness? Is there any doubts, remorse, guilt or shame? No, so why do Christians live with it here? It's because we forget that we are also in Heaven while we are here.

We like to live from our spirit which is in Heaven at all times with Jesus. It tends to make us look weird to this world, but we're alright with that. It enables us to achieve all things the Father wants us to. How many are all? ALL is all. Here's prime example of what I mean.

About 6 years ago I (Bob) had a dream. In this dream Bonnie and I were in a motorhome, it had a name on the back that said, "Heal on Wheels" and we were set up in a campground somewhere. I saw that we had a small sign set up in front of the home that said something like Healing meeting tonight, all are welcome. I then saw me leading a few people in worship, Bonnie then teaching a short Bible lesson and then praying over them and seeing them set free from all their afflictions. I had several other dreams of the same kind of thing. We at no time in our past had considered getting an RV and we have never been into camping. I told Bonnie about the dream and she laughed, thinking it was for vacationing and said, "That's no vacation for me, when there is a kitchen in the thing!" But within a year this dream stuck with us and we found ourselves renting one to take our eldest daughter to school in South Carolina to see what it would be like. What was funny was how people just seemed to come to us like a moth to a light at night. We ministered to several people while down there and Bonnie discovered that she liked it after all. I tended to do most of the cooking since it was out on the grill.

CONFIRMATION (OR... WHEN YOU RUN OUT OF COINCIDENCES)

Within another year we were visiting MorningStar Fellowship in Fort Mill, SC, signed up for prophetic prayer and at the end of our session one man just said, "Oh and I see you guys in a big camper of some kind." That stopped us in our tracks as we were getting up and leaving. I just replied, "Do you see how big?" He just said, "It has all the comforts of home." We just laughed, looking at each other.

For many years we were in no shape financially to make such a purchase but we told everyone it was going to happen. We started shopping and we determined what we wanted and what we could afford. It became very difficult to find what both of us wanted in one motorcoach and still do it within budget. But we kept an eye out and waited on the Lord. Why? Because we had a word from the Lord. We were seated in Heavenly places and tuned in. This thought never left our minds for long.

Fast forward to this year and 2 months ago we were at a prayer meeting where a man I never met before was praying over me and declaring that the season we've awaited on for years is now here and it will happen quickly, very quickly. On the other side of the room Bonnie was given a very similar word from another woman. Both of us heard the same thing, from 2 different people at the same time. A week later, I received and email out of the blue that set it all in motion. I really can't give details other than what was spoken was now happening.

Then a week after that I received another email from a person, I'd never met, from AR, that gave us another huge piece of the puzzle and more confirmation about this next season we found ourselves in. This man said he and his wife had felt compelled to pray for Bonnie and I and named the exact thing we found ourselves praying about. We call them suddenlies. A suddenly of God is when you find yourself suddenly changed by something or someone or in a new place, mindset or unexpected events. (Think Moses and the burning bush or Saul to Paul on the road to Demascus) Within a week, we saw a motorhome that caught our eyes. It had that strange combination that satisfied both of our desires and was in our price range. Within a week, we owned it. The funniest thing is that it has a lion and lioness together on the back of it. Let the lions of Judah roar! It is now sitting in our driveway awaiting our first adventure. But this is just getting to the good part. The part that proves we are in complete control of our futures and destiny but only while seated in Heavenly Places. When we leave that perch, we're on our own and usually not very successful. It is always best to dream what God dreams for us, we know it can't go wrong.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER IS THE MATTER OF THE HEART

We had a surprise guest one evening recently. She is a young adult daughter of friends, who has sought us out for advice in the past. She just wants a different perspective on her life that is not her parents. Her parents know she comes to us. This night she saw the RV sitting in the driveway beside the garage and wanted to see inside. We found ourselves sitting in the chairs opposite her on the sofa when she started pouring out her problems to us. First Bonnie and then I took some time to speak into what we saw concerning her life. Just as I was speaking, I got that funny deja vu thing and I knew this had all happened once before, which of course is crazy because we never had one of these before. But suddenly, I remembered that I had a dream years ago and this was exactly what I saw, down to every detail inside this RV, to the exact words I heard her say and then my replies. It was direct confirmation that although I dreamed it 6 years before, I was already visiting this moment in time and God just wanted to make sure I got the confirmation. She was the first captive set free... here's an excerpt from her mother the following week..."How can I begin to explain what is happening? Briefly, XXXXX has begun to come into what i would describe as a "suddenly". I've seen her spirit come forth like I've never seen in anyone before.... It was like talking to a different person as the wisdom streamed forth.... We are watching a miracle in motion." Of course I had to leave out all the details, but the superlatives should suffice to get the victory across.

Now that is just ONE example of what happens to us on a daily basis and it's all because we let our spirits lead us at all times. Not our heads but our hearts which are at all times seated in Heavenly places. We have done countless things that many say are crazy, it doesn't make sense, you can't do that... but yet, we do and it always turns out for our good. I'm not boasting on us in any way but on His goodness and what He can do when we just are open and receive freely.

THE WAR IS OVER

Jesus fought this war for us over 2,000 years ago. He's just waiting for us to latch onto His coat tails and hold on. He wants to take us to heights that our parents never could see or dream of. Things are all starting to happen now in the Kingdom in our lifetime and we need to be Seated in Heavenly Places to see it, to catch it, to take part in it and to be victorious here on the earth. And I don't mean to prosper in material things at all either, remember Jesus' ministry didn't start until He became homeless, yet He prospered for 3 years after that, never wanting for anything.

I have a favorite T-shirt, I got it at IHOP in Kansas City and not the house of pancakes IHOP. It says simply- Do Justly, Love Mercy. It's from Micah 6:8, I was wearing it the day we went to look at this motorcoach and the salesman read my shirt and told me he loved that verse... all things work together for our good and I knew we would own this coach before I ever set foot in it. Sidetrack: We also bought a book on John G. Lake at IHOP and in it is a picture of Mr. Lake beside his vehicle with a sign on top saying Healing Meetings Tonight! He used to use it for advertising and he ran what the Secretary of Health or Surgeon General as he's named today called, "The healthiest city in America, Spokane, WA. "I see you in the future and you look much better than you look right now!"- Kim Clement  Someday in the very near future, we will be living in this full time and going where the Spirit leads us. We already know that our first destination is supposed to be The Outer Banks, NC... I know there is great treasure awaiting us there. So if you see the 2 lions and Heal on Wheels somewhere, someday, stop and say hello, we'll be waiting for you.