The closer you get to heaven, the less you worry about the things in this world. “But we are looking forward to God’s promise of new heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness.” (2 Peter 3:13 TLB).
Never forget the plot of your life story, which is that you will spend all of eternity in heaven. We often get so caught up in the problems of the day that we forget to take a step back and remember where we are going. Stop planning more for your retirement than you do for your eternity.
When you have your eyes on heaven, earthly things will lose their appeal. “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2 NIV).
We get so upside down in our thinking that we elevate our life on earth as being so important. But our life is only the opening act which is short-lived and gone before we know it. Our hearts were designed to hold eternity, and we fall short by only grabbing hold of all that is temporary.
Someday we are going to graduate from earth to heaven. “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own…” (Philippians 3:20-21 NLT).
Too often, believers think they will not go higher in their faith until they can get to heaven. But they are wrong. We were meant to bring heaven to earth in how we are living. God can work on us here just as much as He can work on us there; all we have to do is be willing.
Never underestimate what an extraordinary God can do through an ordinary person. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV).
Heaven is as much a way of life as it is a place. We pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, but do we really expect Him to do so? Jesus would never have told us to pray this if the father was not going to respond to that request.
The kingdom is not you in heaven, but heaven in you. The Lord Jesus taught, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV). When you are in His will, then His will is here in you.
We were meant to bring heaven down to earth in the way we live our life. This cannot be done by your willpower and discipline, for those are natural in origin. A heavenly life can only be lived with things that originate in heaven. The Holy Spirit is the only one qualified to help you.
The cost of the heavenly life is your earthly life. “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24 NKJV).
Supernatural miracles are always amazing, but the heavenly life is even better. It is a higher faith walking in a lower humility that allows the Lord to do with them as He pleases. It is a life that is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and goes where He leads them.
It doesn’t matter how big your calling is, but only that you do it. “As each one has received some spiritual gift, he should use it to serve others, like good managers of God’s many-sided grace” (1 Peter 4:10 CJB).
We think heaven is somewhere else, but heaven is at our fingertips, and we just cannot see it. God created the earth and said it was good, and then things went bad. The Lord separated heaven so that the bad would not go on forever. But the story is not finished.
Stop aiming to the left or to the right and wondering why you missed the mark. “From that time on, Yeshua began proclaiming, ‘Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!’” (Matthew 4:17 CJB).
Heaven and earth will someday be reunited. The earth will need a clean-up, and my guess is that will be our first task as those who will remain on earth forever. We need to stop thinking the Lord does everything in one word. Even Jesus walked one step at a time to wherever He was going.
Earth is not a God-forsaken planet but a planet where most have forsaken God. “For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:9 AMPC).
We have an opportunity here on earth to get prepared for our life in heaven. The greater the preparation, the less we will have to change when we get there. This is not a trivial change, for what we do today will matter forever.
Stop adding more regret for when you get to heaven. “’Pay attention!’ [says Yeshua,] ‘I am coming soon, and my rewards are with me to give to each person according to what he has done’” (Revelation 22:12 CJB).
Heaven is watching, and we must realize that. Live your life humbly, walking with your God, and it will be there you will experience a piece of heaven. Determine in your life to keep heaven on your mind and in your heart such that the Lord can use you for His kingdom.
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius
I have enjoyed your work for quite some time. I was hoping you could assist me in my spiritual walk, for I felt I was close to the Lord as a young child raised in a Pentecostal church. I left the church as a teenager due to what I felt was man’s/religion’s legalism. Now I’m 53 & Ive rededicated my life to Jesus. I’ve asked that He draw me close to Him-that I desire a relationship with Him-not religion. I’ve been a RN for 26 years. I’ve asked to be delivered from addiction of smoking cigarettes & I’m waiting on Him. Can you shed any light or knowledge on a scripture that Ive read that makes me think I may have drifted too far away. Hebrews 6:4-8. I understand if you do not wish to respond. I’ve reached out to a couple of pastors who’ve not replied. Thank you for your time & your work.
Cynthia Fields
Hello Cynthia, apologies for my late reply, have been on some days off and helping my family. I think you are absolutely on the right track to be seeking a relationship with the Lord and not with religious institutions. Still, there are so many wonderful churches and gifted leaders out there, and they are very helpful to us in our faith journey. Don’t let a bad experience you had with the wrong place prevent from finding a good place. Prayers for you to overcome your smoking addiction. I had to overcome that as well, and the Lord can help you just as He helped me! I did also use Chantix and that was very helpful, though it did not cause some side effects. I was so determined to overcome so that I could be a better instrument to God, proof that He can do the impossible. He can. Hebrews 6:4-8 is a picture of a complete falling away, like when Lucifer left heaven and setup his opposition to God. All of us stumble, all of us backslide, many of us go astray, but like the Prodigal son, the Father is waiting ever so lovingly waiting to get a glimpse of his beloved child coming home. Read Luke 15:11-32 and that is how your Father is waiting for you. Our Father is so merciful! “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV). Blessings to you are your faith journey!
Praise God through JESUS CHRIST AMEN I THANK God for the blessing of the HOLY SPRIT I believe in the power of God to get me through this nasty habit and I know HIS WILL BE DONE AMEN.
There is nothing too hard for God, not even you or me! Praying that you would let God help you even beyond what you could even dream for. Blessings to you!