Living in the Realm of the Supernatural

Hello everyone,

“In the beginning, man’s spirit was the dominant force in the world. When he sinned, his mind became dominant. Sin dethroned the spirit and crowned the intellect. But grace is restoring the spirit to its place of dominion. When man comes to realize this, he will live in the realm of the supernatural without effort.”

This is an extract from John G. Lake’s article, The Power of the Name.

Can you imagine living in the realm of the supernatural without effort? It’s not as far off as you might think. According to the Word of God, at the point of our salvation we are born of the Spirit (John 3:5) and have received the Holy Spirit as our gift from God. Acts 2:38 says, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

Then Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit”. This is what John G. Lake was referring to when he said we can have our spirits dominate our lives. The problem comes with the battle of wills between our flesh, the carnal nature, which is governed by our natural, human reasoning; and our re-born spirit nature, which is governed by God’s Spirit living in us. Whichever one we give attention to dominates our lives with pretty significant results. John 6:63 says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing”.

Having said that, we can start rejoicing right now because Jesus dealt with the sin issue on the cross and broke its power over us! That means we are free to walk and live by the Spirit of God and have the grace to not live according to the flesh and all it dictates! So, to live in the realm of the supernatural, we make walking in the Spirit our conscious decision each day!

Romans 8:4-8 says, “...live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].

⁵ For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.

⁶ Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

⁷ [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot. 

⁸ So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.”

The Word couldn’t be plainer. For the victorious child of God, who desires to live in the realm of the supernatural, a lifestyle of sin is out and a life controlled by the Holy Spirit is in!

The question is: how do we do this?

Well, if you look back at verse 6, it specifically speaks about the mind of the flesh and the mind of the Holy Spirit. This tells us there are two very distinct ways of thinking and reasoning in this life; both have rather drastic results. Thinking and reasoning without the influence of the Holy Spirit leads to sin, which always progresses to misery and death; while thinking under the influence of the Holy Spirit progresses to life and peace that lasts for eternity.

OK, so now that we understand that correct thinking is the way to live controlled by the Holy Spirit, the next question is: how do we correct our wrong way of thinking and keep it under the influence of the Holy Spirit?

Here are four simple steps to having victory over our thoughts, where they are dominated by the influence of the Holy Spirit and not our flesh.

1: Fill Up!

Fill your mind with the Word of God. God’s Word is full of His thoughts, so the more time we invest in it, the more it will significantly influence our way of thinking. This process of influence is called renewing our minds. Romans 12:1-2 says that it’s something we are expected to do as children of God.

Now here’s the beauty of this truth: whatever we give our attention to become our desire; and our desires pave the way for our destinies. Did you know that whatever your heart is engaged in, attaches you to it and it becomes your destiny? Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Your treasure is something you regard as being highly valuable. It’s something you’re passionate about; that one thing that makes you feel the most alive and you simply can’t imagine being without. When we fill our minds with God’s Word, by the Holy Spirit enlightening it to us, we soon discover that it is alive and full of glorious treasures and we just can’t get enough of it! That’s why Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in [all its] richness…” Trust the Holy Spirit to lead and teach you as you delight in God’s Word and fill your mind with it.

2: Recognise!

Recognise where your thoughts come from. When the Word of God has become our desire and delight, and we are constantly feeding our hearts and minds on it, we will recognise the origin of every thought that enters our minds. You see all thoughts are either faith-based or fear-based. Since God’s Word produces faith, peace and life, any thought that is contrary to that will stick out like a sore thumb in your mind. Even if it sounds right or reasonable, its nature will be opposite to what you have been renewing your mind to. The Holy Spirit will awaken and sharpen your senses to recognise the nature of your thoughts.

3: Reject!

Once you recognise what thoughts are contrary to the nature of God, immediately take them captive and cast them out! Reject those thoughts, understanding they are fiery darts from the devil intended to lead you into worry, fear or entice strife in your life. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says,“[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)”. Refuse to entertain any negative thoughts and don’t give them even a moment’s opportunity to latch themselves to your mind.

4: Replace!

Now that we’ve recognised what thoughts don’t belong in the mind of a believer and we’ve taken them captive and rejected them, it’s time to immediately replace them. This is where the Holy Spirit will remind you of the Word of God you have been filling your mind with. He will bring to remembrance a specific scripture that negates the incorrect thought the enemy placed in your mind. John 14:26, says “But the Comforter (Counsellor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.” As you meditate on the truth the Holy Spirit reminds you of, it will become the dominating force in your mind and will influence what you think, speak and act – according to its Godly nature.

Now you’ve begun to place in motion a life that is influenced, dominated and controlled by the Holy Spirit! It’s a lifestyle that will bring you lasting life and peace in every situation, if you choose to be diligent to keep these four steps in place. Fill up on the Word, recognise wrong thoughts, reject them and replace them with the truth of God’s Word! Enjoy this life of victory as you partner with the Holy Spirit and live in the realm of the supernatural without effort.

Blessings,

Jenny