Daily Devotion | Day 305
“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” (Ephesians 1:3, NKJV).
Five times in his Letter to the Ephesians Paul uses the phrase “heavenly places” (1:3; 1:20; 2:6; 3:10 and 6:12). It is an interesting pattern. Each occurrence of the phrase offers us key insights into the nature of the Christian life. The Lord wants to point us to deep spiritual realities that have implications for our Christian life. Everything He tells us is intended for our good and for His glory. If you are in Christ, you are a winner. God wants you to be aware of this, and He wants you to remain a winner.
In the Bible, the Father gives us the knowledge we need to be on the winning side. Part of His plan is to point us to heavenly realities, because the battle is won from above, not from below. In the next three days, we will examine key passages in the New Testament that will help us to stay on the winning side by developing ‘heaven-mindedness.’ We begin this three-part series by looking at Ephesians 1:3.
Paul starts by blessing the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There’s a lesson here. The extent to which you bless God depends on the extent to which you know (or don’t know) that you are blessed. Those who bless God less are people who either don’t realize they’re blessed or who take blessings for granted. To bless God well, you need a revelation of what God has done for you. Paul is not ungrateful. He is like the Psalmist who said, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Paul is offering a blessing because he knows what the Father has done.
What exactly has the Father done? He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. Let’s highlight three key points here. First, God has blessed us. It’s in the past tense. This means it’s done. God is not about to bless you. He has blessed you. You are not hoping to be blessed next week. You are blessed here and now. There’s a big difference between “you will be blessed” and “you are blessed.”
Knowing that you’re blessed now will help you to develop heaven-mindedness and see yourself as a winner. Second, how many are the blessings God has bestowed on us? The Bible says, all spiritual blessings. Think about that. How many spiritual blessings are there, 10, 100, 1000, 1000 000 or more? The reality is this: Spiritual blessings are infinite. The implication is that you are infinitely blessed with every conceivable blessing. God has kept no blessing from you.
To give you an idea of the magnitude of your blessing, consider the fact that as God’s child, you are heir of God and joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:6-7). We can talk all day about this, but let me draw out a single illustration. Do you believe that Jesus is infinitely wealthy? Good. And the Bible says, you’re joint-heir with Christ, right? What does that make you?
Third, you’ve been blessed in the heavenly places. This means you’re known and recognized in the heavenly realm as a blessed person. No power can reverse your blessings. What is written stands written. You’re blessed by a divine decree. No curse against you shall prosper. Heavenly places is where power lies. And you are blessed in those places. Don’t worry about your enemies. Let them worry about you.
Your life is saturated with blessings. Maintain a heaven perspective, because your power for victory is in the heavenly places. You’re a blessing. Stay blessed. Amen.
For further study: Psalm 103:1-22 and Revelation 5:6-14
Higher-Self Realities 