Daily Devotion | Day 306
“Even when we were dead in trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ . . . and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6, NKJV).
Yesterday, we looked at how much the Father has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. We learned that our victory consists in having a heaven perspective, which includes realizing the magnitude of our blessings in the heavenly places. Today, we continue our series by examining the passage above, especially the last part. It’s all about winning from above. A perspective that is mainly based on our earthly/fleshly experience doesn’t help our cause. Fasten your seat belts as we continue our ‘tour’ of the heavenly places.
To win from above it’s important that we look at reality from the standpoint of who we are, where we stand and what we have in the heavenly places.
The born again experience is about before and after, i.e. who we used to be as opposed to who we are now. That is the picture Paul paints in today’s opening passage. In the past, we were dead in our trespasses, he says. But now we live in a different reality thanks to God’s great love for us. God has blessed us with a new life on three levels. First, He has made us alive together with Christ. Second, He has raised us up together with Christ. And third, He has made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We will focus on this last point. But before that, let’s highlight two things which emerge from the passage.
Notice that the new experience is presented in the past tense. This means it is done, and consequently, it is the present reality of everyone who is born of God. Another thing to observe in the passage is the word “together.” It occurs three times, and it is used to describe Jesus and us as having a joint experience. That’s powerful. Don’t miss it.
Now let’s direct our attention to the last part of the passage where Paul says, God “made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” This is not a metaphor. It’s a literal spiritual reality. Jesus, the Risen Lord, is seated in the heavenly places. But He is not there alone. We are seated with Him and in Him. And it is the Father who put us there. Remember the word “together.” Jesus is Head of the Body, i.e. the Church (Colossians 1:18). The Head and the Body form one inseparable unit. Therefore, where Christ is, the Church is.
God revealed these things in the Bible to help us see things from His perspective. Often, we’re trapped by our earthly circumstances because we can’t see past the visible world. But God wants us to see things based on our position in the heavenly places, because our victory is from above, not from below.
When the Bible says you’re seated with Christ in the heavenly places it means you’re in a position of authority, power and rest. It means you’re far above satan and his minions. It means all things are possible for you (Matthew 17:20). It means you’re secure, confident and fearless. It means you don’t need to worry about the past, the present or the future. It means all the resources of heaven are at your disposal: health, peace, wisdom, wealth, knowledge, favor, joy and so much more. In a nutshell, you’re a winner.
See yourself seated together with Jesus on high. And use your heavenly position to your advantage.
For further study: Ephesians 1:13-22
Higher-Self Realities 