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THE ALTERNATE REALITY. An insight into the realm of the spirit Daniel Musonda Kaira i

[Document title] Copyright 2018: Daniel Musonda Kaira All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. ISBN: ii

DEDICATION We all have that friend who reasons with everything and thinks a lot. Some may even be atheist or one of these intellectual subscribers. Give them this book. This is also -and especially- for all those beginning in the faith. Then of course for those hungry to learn about the realm of the spirit, this too is your copy. I am excited about the level of truth you would have consumed next time we meet. iii

[Document title] ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A lot many thanks to the Lord for the unmerited grace to write. For the wisdom and for inspiration. God, you never cease to amaze me. Indeed, you are in a class of your own. And to the Household media, you guys make me look excellent and quite organized. Thanks. Mom and Dad (Pastors Robert and Catherine Kaira), of course I owe you a debt I can never repay. Thank you. iv

Table of Contents Chapter I... 1 The argument.... 1 Chapter II... 3 The Plato- Aristotle Divide... 3 Chapter III... 9 Through the divine eye... 9 Chapter IV...12 The Alternate reality...12 Chapter V...18 The greater reality...18 Chapter VI...31 The Dark side of the greater reality...31 Chapter VII...41 Portals to the Alternate Reality...41 Chapter VIII...50 Be Real?...50 Chapter IX...55 Too Spiritual?...55 v

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The Alternate Reality Chapter I The argument. Has someone ever walked to you and said be real? As a student of Philosophy, I can confirm that reality is such a hot topic within our circles that the use of it is often avoided in order to evade sparks of many more questions and pigeon holes of in fact acutely conflicting thoughts. Is it a reality of thought? Is it a reality of objects? These and many more questions get endlessly asked. How does reality affect the Christian? What is it to a believer in the first place? Could it be what it is or how it is perceived? How do we decide what reality is? In this book, we will explore the subject of reality in a deeper way and how it affects the believer. I 1

The Argument believe this will change our lives forever. Praise the Lord! 2

The Alternate Reality Chapter II The Plato- Aristotle Divide It would be scholarly accurate to begin this subject with a dictionary definition; and inasmuch as that was my original intent, I realized that most and if not all dictionary definitions have been compromised and inspired by differing philosophical views. As such, taking one would indirectly be subscribing to a view. If we did, we would have to take extra care. Nevertheless, we will delve into the biblical sense of this issue, once we get the philosophical one in perspective. I will proceed from an assumption that at this stage, we have all heard about Aristotle and Plato as being philosophers of old, having had, and still influencing the shape of philosophy today. 3

The Plato-Aristotle Divide Aristotle, who happened to be Plato s prized student was in many ways like his teacher but disagreed equally on many points. Plato had what I will describe as quite a close and intriguing view on reality. He postulated that reality can be understood in two stages or levels. On the first level, there was what he referred to as the ultimate reality which he further described as ideal and idealistic. This form of reality, he said, is eternal, faultless and permanent. On the other hand or in the second stage, he stated that there is the phenomena; being the manifestation of the ideal. He mentioned that phenomena are appearances; things as they seem to our eyes. These are associated with time, space and matter. They can decay and die 1. 1 http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/athenians.html. 4

The Alternate Reality He labelled phenomena as illusory and inferior to the ideal. He gives the idea of a triangle. That the defining mathematics of it, the form and essence of it is perfect and eternal. On the other hand, the manifestation of it is not so. The day-today tangible triangle may be a little crooked with rough edges and mathematically inaccurate measurements. In fact, he identifies the ideal with God and perfect goodness. Aristotle, his student, held a rather contrary view. While Plato was so much of o philosopher, Aristotle was so much of a philosopher as he was a scientist. In my view, this largely explains why he objected to his mentor s views. His first objection is the fact that we can never seem to establish a link or a relationship between the so called ideal and the phenomena. Please work with me and stay here. It will get easier to understand. Moving on, Aristotle asks the question if the real or idea forms are 5

The Plato-Aristotle Divide eternal, pure and faultless as alleged, then how do they relate to the material objection or forms on earth with all their physical imperfections? 2 In my well-considered views, perhaps the defect Aristotle was finding in his teacher s view was based on the law of reproduction: that a kind can only give birth to its kind. On the one hand, think of the ideal and idealistic stage as eternal and perfection. On the other hand, think of phenomena as dying and imperfection and frail. These may be understood as two parallel states of existence with no hope of meeting. This being the case, how then could Plato claim that what is perfect could give birth to what was imperfect and what was immaterial to what was material? 2 http://peped.org/pholosophicalinvestigations/essay-plato-andaristoles-view-of-reality 6

The Alternate Reality Aristotle, having studied some biology and physics having been a teacher, came to a conclusion that our world is made up of many natural forms which we could discover and relate with using our senses and we needed not employ imaginations and thought in order to find some other realm of existence that would determine or influence this one. Reality for Aristotle was therefore one that every student of the empiricism 3 of science subscribes to. That reality is the state of being, amenable only to the senses. Anything beyond that wasn t within the circumference of the question. The prevailing question Aristotle had for Plato was what are the two separate realms (of reality) and what do they mean and how do they explain life as it is? 3 Empiricism is a scientific principle that truth is only truth is it can be seen, touched, smelled and can be amenable to the senses. 7

The Plato-Aristotle Divide Let us see this in the next Chapter. 8

The Alternate Reality Chapter III Through the divine eye It appears to me as supported by the scriptures, even as we will see, that Plato was closer to the truth of the word of God than his student was at any point. This is perhaps why he was awarded honorary Christianity, seeing that he passed on way before the Lord Jesus was born. In order to get to the bottom of this, we will look at a thought hidden in this scripture: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear 4. Already, this portion of scripture provokes a number of thoughts; the first in rank being that the 4 Hebrews 11:3 KJV 9

Through The Divine Eye things which are seen were not made of the things we see but the things which have no appearance. This drags us to the conclusion that there are two forms of reality, the first one being the reality of the things we do not see and the second being the reality of the things we see. Through the bible, the realm of the things we do not see is a reality in itself as it comprises things used to form the reality of things we can see. To some extent, a similarity can be seen between Plato s views and these biblical views. Just as Plato argued that there are two realities: one being the ideal or the real, while the other being the phenomena, we understand spiritually that there are equally two kinds of realities. One is made up of things or objects we can see touch, smell and feel, while the other is made up of 10

The Alternate Reality perfect- in differing terms- things we cannot touch, smell or see. However, the establishment of these two kinds of realities does not necessarily settle the question that Aristotle had, concerning an establishment of their relationship. We will need to establish their relationship and thank God the word of God shows us how the two realms relate. Let us see in the ensuing scriptures. 11

The Alternate Reality Chapter IV The Alternate reality The alternate reality is the unseen world. What we have commonly come to understand as the realm of the spirit. The spiritual world. For a long time, there has been a lot of mystery concerning the spiritual world and it is the aim of this book to cast an attempt at demystifying this. While there may be so many ways, experiences and so many scriptures that we can use in order to understand the realm of the spirit, we will use a direction many don t really employ. Perhaps I should begin by stating that the realm of the spirit is possibly not as complicated as many have suggested it is. Complex things do happen there, but it is not difficult to understand and relate with it. 12

The Alternate Reality We all relate with the realm of the spirit on an everyday basis. It is not possible to be alive and not have a relationship with the realm of the spirit. The fact that you don t agree that there is a spiritual world does not make you any less funnier than the male who argues that there is no pain in child labor. Look, the fact that you don t believe that germs don t exist just because you have not seen one does not make them nonexistent. The fact that you deny the existence of radio waves does not make them none existent. The realm of the spirit is real. I am reminded of a wonderful man of God who was sited next to an Atheist on a plane and began a discussion with him. After a period of failed attempts, he decided to stop and just focus on the journey. Suddenly, there was a fault with the plane and it looked like it was losing control. 13

The Alternate Reality To his shock, the alleged Atheist went on his knees to pray. This wonderful man of God then stopped him and asked him to just sit down and enjoy his death since God does not exist. That was a funny approach in a serious case. But you see, even many of these people who have adopted some of these high sounding theories and beliefs somehow have knowing of spiritual things. They may deny them, but the truth, as the scriptures put it is that... (God) has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds 5 Isn t he smart? Of course he is. He planted a sense of eternity; an awareness of spiritual things not in Christians only but in all men s hearts. ******** Now, it s amazing how God makes the realm of the spirit so easily understandable. It s so easy to understand that in his own words, he mentions that 5 Ecclesiastes 3: 11 AMP 14

The Alternate Reality men will have no excuse. Let s look at the actual words; For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification] 6 In other words, God is not as complicated to understand because the things he created are a reflection of who he is. In the same way, many things we see physically today reflect the power of the realm of the spirit. For example, one way to understand God is by understanding mankind because God said let us make man in our own image and after our own likeness 7. God is like man; and so, to understand 6 Romans 1:20 AMP 7 Genesis 1: 26 15

The Alternate Reality God, one has to understand and study without struggle, a human being. We were created just like him. Not just in image, but in likeness too. I heard a great argument about creation. That when we see a painting, we think about a painter. When we see a building, we think about a builder, when we see creation, we should not think of evolution. There must be a creator. Things don t put themselves together by some accurate chance. Brothers and sisters, even if we were to dismantle a phone and leave it for a billion of years, we wouldn t return here and find it assembled. How? The complexity of man shows us the presence of a power responsible for that. The accurately complex processes and biological organs and organisms employed for our survival as humans scream that there is a hand behind them. Such power and precision 16

The Alternate Reality speak of God s divine power and eternal nature; we are indeed without excuse. There is so much we can say about how easy it is to understand the realm of the spirit. For example, things like family are significant of the community of God, how that man is spirit soul and body also speaks of the triune God and so on and so forth. The spiritual world, is the alternate reality and it does affect us in a very significant way as we will see in the next chapter. 17

The Alternate Reality Chapter V The greater reality The book of John chapter one has some of the most amazing revelations on the relationship between the realm of the spirit and the physical realm. This chapter delves deeper into some of those truths but before that, let s look at the main point of the chapter as it comes from the book of Hebrews 11. It says: Faith convinces us that God created the world through his word. This means what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen 8. In the first place, the scripture reveals the existence of the two realms of reality by stating that things we see (things in the physical world), were made of 8 Hebrews 11: 3 GWT 18

The Greater Reality things we do not see (things in the realm of the spirit). In the second place, the scripture reveals that the things we see were made. The scripture puts it this way This means what can be seen was made See that? The things we see did not just pop up from nowhere. They were made. They were created; and they were created by the things we do not see. Let us ask ourselves a question: if the things we do not see created the things we see; if the things in the realm of the spirit created or do still create many things we see in the physical realm today; if the reality of the realm of the spirit brought into exist the reality of the realm of physical things, then which reality is greater? Of course the one we do not see; of course the realm of the spirit! The created can never be greater than the creator. 19

The Alternate Reality Knowledge of this truth puts many people at an advantage while its absence can also put someone at a disadvantage. The amazing thing is that we human beings are a combination of both the realm of the spirit and the physical one. That means, we are concurrently living in two realities. While we are living in a physical world, we are at the same time living in the spiritual world. In case you may not know, the Bible teaches that a human being is made up of the spirit, the soul and the body 9. We are not just one thing like a log or donut. We are a complex entity. As such, it does pay us well to learn how to use the spiritual world to our advantage. We have learnt to use the physical world and use it well except another part which is just as real and even more. 9 1 Thessalonians 4: 23 20

The Greater Reality Let me show you something. Remember John chapter 1 says In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God However, the bible further says: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us Hold up just there. At first, we are told that in the beginning was the word and the word was not just with God but was equally God. Keep in mind that God is a spirit according to Jesus description of Him in the book of John 4: 24; and this being the case automatically makes the word a spirit as it were. Something interesting however happened in verse 14 of the same chapter. The Bible says the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us I find that amazing. We are told that the word became flesh. In other words, the spiritual became physical. 21

The Alternate Reality It means that what was in the realm of the spirit changed and became physical. It became amenable to our five senses. We could touch, feel, smell and walk with what was once in the spiritual realm. Not only did the word become flesh, we are told that this word dwelt among us. This word lived, walked, ate and talked with us. This is why John said in his first letter: We write to you about the Word of life, which has existed from the very beginning. We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it. 2 When this life became visible, we saw it; so we speak of it and tell you about the eternal life which was with the Father and was made known to us 10. ******** 10 1 John 1: 1 GNB 22

The Greater Reality Jesus may have looked like a normal baby, just like John. But they were truly different because while one was the word made flesh, the other one was a product of the union of a husband and wife. In the same way, there are a lot of things that happen to people s lives and they weren t just the working of events but a working of spiritual things that came into being. This explains why doctors cannot cure some illnesses. If a problem has its cause in the spirit, then it will need a spiritual solution. You can t work out a spiritual problem physically. This explains why many people die before their time. They tried everything medical but it got worse and worse and worse. This is how we must approach almost every other sickness. This way, we will exercise full dominion. ******** 23

The Alternate Reality Someone may ask just here are you saying that every other sickness is caused by the devil? Well, not always directly. There are many sicknesses and misfortunes that happen because the world out there is frustrated. And even the same frustration can be directly linked to the influence of Satan. Allow me to explain what I mean when I say that the world is frustrated. Have you ever wondered who created mosquitoes or flies or where maggots get their lives? Some time ago, I was sited at a place looking at a beautiful Rose flower and a very bothersome thought hit me. Why does something as beautiful as this have thorns? I couldn t even understand why I felt that way because I had always known that flowers have thorns all my life. There was just something not right with it this time. I wondered why we had to be careful dealing with something as beautiful as that. 24

The Greater Reality And then the Spirit of the Lord brought it to my attention that it was not so from the beginning, thorns were a novelty. A phenomenon to the earth and all its plants. Thorns never existed and Adam never knew them until the curse. Remember, one of the pronouncements of the curse were that: And to Adam He said, Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow and toil shall you eat [of the fruits] of it all the days of your life. 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field 11. This means that before the fall, thorns and thistles just like death and serious pain in child labour, were never within the realm of thought. Not even sweat. For the first time after the fall, Adam was working 11 Genesis 3:17 AMP 25

The Alternate Reality and he was tired. Not only was he tired, the poor man sweated. He wiped his brawl and just couldn t understand it. Sweat was coming out! Today, we see people sweating, people dying, pain in child labour including thistles and thorns and it doesn t even bother us. We got used. But it wasn t so from the beginning. ******** The New Testament shades more light on the power of the curse and how it affected us and the environment around us. This is amazing. It says: creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned and frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it--[yet] with the hope 21 that nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and 26

The Greater Reality gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children 12. Take note of the vocabulary used in that scripture to describe what really happened to nature after the curse of Genesis Chapter Three. That s that. This world of ours was subjected to decay, corruption, futility and so on and so forth. This is why electrons can just get confused and lightening is formed to kill men, plants and animals alike. It is due to the frustration of the world that hideous creatures like maggots and flies, moths and Cockroaches come about. It isn t God creating them. No! Also, originally, insects like mosquitoes could not be said to have been made just so that that they could exchange the sickness in their system with your blood. Would that really be the 12 Romans 8:19 AMP 27

The Alternate Reality will of God? Of course not. It s the decay the earth underwent. But remember, even our bodies underwent relegation. Adam was no longer the super-human he was. After the curse, he could feel pain, he could work a little and get tired. Not only cold he get tired, he could sweat and even get sick and die. His body got a down grade. It was not the way it was. It had dominion even over the weather. Adam was not the one feeling the weather. The weather felt him. If you understand dominion, you will agree with this. But after wards, tables changed. This is why, if you exposed yourself to the cold or dust, you wouldn t necessarily blame Satan. See that? Not every sickness is directly caused by Satan. Some are because of the decay our world underwent. 28

The Greater Reality One lesson we get from this is just how higher the reality of the realm of the spirit is. The curse came from there and we felt the effects here. We Africans on this part of the world understand this language better. Perhaps until about these days, we don t struggle to believe spiritual things because of our long standing exposure to the realm of the spirit. It s usually rare to find a proper African Atheist. They may not have faith in the Lord Jesus but most of them still do have an understanding of spiritual things especially curses, magic, witchcraft and superstition. I remember hearing a story about a woman and a bus conductor who were arguing about changemoney. Apparently, the woman was supposed to receive change-money but the bus conductor was being rude like many of them are usually and taking advantage of the fact that he was dealing with a woman. 29

The Alternate Reality After a while of exchange of words and mouth wrestling, the woman said it s okay, my God will avenge. At that, the conductor suddenly changed faces and begged for forgiveness and gave the woman what was supposedly hers. You just never know which God will be invoked down here. I commend him for conceding. Many have died resisting. 30

The Alternate Reality Chapter VI The Dark side of the greater reality The bible tells us of a woman who was bent over and medical Doctors couldn t even help her. She had this condition for 18 years. The moment Jesus looked at her, he knew why the Doctors couldn t help her at all. The thing was spiritual. He said:... here is this descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept in bonds for eighteen years 13 He did not just say that she needed to be helped because the thing had been working against her for eighteen years. He said that this particular case involved Satan! This, in fact brings us to the fact that there are two sides to the realm of the spirit. The spiritual reality 13 Luke 13:1 6 GNB 31

The Dark Side of The Greater Reality is in two. There is the God side and the ungodly side. By the way, may I just mention that the relationship between God and Satan is not like that between Tom and Jerry; where they are running after one another and harming each other depending on who has a better strategy. No! God is also not in some kind of war with Satan. God is absolute and like a singer mentioned, he has neither rival nor equal. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that Satan was created 14 by God and even when he was attempting to overthrow God; God did not get out of his throne to stand in combat with him. He sent Michael 15 ; another angel. To deal with him. It definitely wouldn t have been a fair fight, if it would even be called a fight at all. 14 See: Ezekiel 18:15 15 Revelation 12: 7 32

The Alternate Reality But chiefly, the point that should be made here is that there is a kingdom of darkness. It is spiritual and Satan is head of it. When he was thrown down to earth, here was what had to be said by the announcing angel. He said: How horrible it is for the earth and the sea because the Devil has come down to them with fierce anger, knowing that he has little time left 16 In another place, the bible informs us that that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour 17 Brothers and sisters, there is a kingdom of Satan. Whether one believes in his existence or not is not a factor. One thing we cannot run away from is the 16 Revelation 12: 12 17 1 Peter 5:8 33

The Dark Side of The Greater Reality fact that he has a definite purpose when he shows up. The Lord Jesus described it this way: the thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy 18... See that threefold purpose? Once he shows up, he will either kill, steal or destroy. The Lord Jesus further described him as a liar. He is not just a lair but he fathered it. In eternity past, there was no such thing as a lie until Satan pioneered it. More specifically, the Lord Jesus said: You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he 18 John 10:10 34

The Alternate Reality is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false 19. Satan is incapable of telling the truth. Just like it would be unreasonable to expect shoes and boots to eat and brush their teeth, so is it for anyone to expect any such things as honesty and truthfulness from Satan. It s an impossible impossibility. Jesus says When he speaks falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him another version says when he tells a lie, he speaks his native language. Now, I love that version better because I myself; I am a man of my native language and sometimes, I feel like English is literally borrowed as I am speaking, so every now and then, I forget English words which I readily know in my native language. I quickly switch to Ichibemba and then back to explaining them in English. But not only does he 19 ^John 8:44 35

The Dark Side of The Greater Reality speak lies as his native language, he founded the thing. That s serious. Nevertheless, there is more to language than just the speech of tribe. It is what I call the code of thought. A programming. A mental algorithm. It s in how he thinks. To just desire to murder, to lie, to steal, kill and destroy. He desperately wants to because that s his wiring. Did you see the scripture we recently looked at? Many people don t look at it for what it is. There is something we must realize from that scripture. It says that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour 20 I want us to look at the highlighted phrase seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Not to chat with or negotiate with or collaborate 20 1 Peter 5:8 36

The Alternate Reality with or work with. I feel for those people who think they are really striking a deal with Satan and getting some of his sham powers to wreak havoc in other people s lives and so on and so forth. Well, they may look like you are getting away with it today but look, satan is not out there to work with them or for them. He is seeking someone to devour. It s just a matter of time before they cry foul! The bible does not say that he seeks the Christian to devour. No. you may think that. But that would be a half truth. Satan will crash anyone he lays his hands on. He doesn t mind destroying the whole world. It says someone. Anyone can be a victim. Anyone can be someone to devour. I also feel for those who say oh well, I will just sit here. I won t trouble Satan and in that way, he won t trouble me. They embrace the saying don t trouble before trouble troubles you. As 37

The Dark Side of The Greater Reality such, they avoid anything spiritual and just live their life. Living like God doesn t exists and like Satan too doesn t exist while knowing they both do. Look, you don t have to provoke Satan in order that he may charge at you. No. you just have to be human and created in the image and likeness of God. That s enough. Satan is like any other disease. You don t provoke sickness for it to come. Most of the times, you are just minding your own business and he comes. Just like a headache. No one wants one. It just comes. This is why you must be alert. The bible says: So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground 21. 21 Ephesians 6:13 GNB 38

The Alternate Reality It means there is an evil day that we must prepare for. Not out of fear, but out of the knowledge that the enemy is moving about as a hungry lion seeking whomsoever to devour. When he comes on your door step, you must give him something to know that he has visited the wrong house. What does it take to make a hungry lion gone on rampage realize that your house is the wrong one for a devouring spree? You must be ready. Don t start preparing on the actual day. It s amazing how many believers wake up in the heat of the moment. They will call at night asking for scriptures: please, what s that scripture which says no weapon something something Where were you brother? We don t fatten a cow just before slaughter. Put on the full amour now. Not half of it. So that when need to use it comes, you won t need to panic. ******** 39

The Dark Side of The Greater Reality The great news is that we have been given authority and power over the devil. We can do something about him. We can put him in his place. His place of defeat. I don t think whenever we are dealing with Satan that we are trying to defeat him. Oh no. the lord Jesus already defeated him on the cross. I believe we are just putting him in his rightful place. If you desire to know just how much power we wield against Satan and his demons, I advise you to go to my Facebook page and search for articles such as the Egg and the Coconut and the weapon of laughter. 40

The Alternate Reality Chapter VII Portals to the Alternate Reality As it has been mentioned, the realm of the spirit is a different reality from the one we live in which is physical. However, they co-exist and they are constantly interacting through many transitional ports making this interaction possible. We will discuss a few in no particular order. One of them is through dreams. Do you remember Solomon? Solomon was sleeping one normal night and had a chat with God in a dream. God asked him to ask for anything he desired and he mentioned that he wanted wisdom. God said he would grant him his request and just like that, Solomon woke up the wisest guy in town 22. 22 1 Kings 3:5 41

Portals to the Alternate Reality Secondly, words are also a way in which the realm of the spirit interacts and thus influences our world. Death is a spiritual thing and life too is a spiritual thing for example, however, the bible says that they are a power of the mouth 23. This means that words have a way in which they become flesh. Some verbal agreements can invoke a spirit too. Complaining and grumbling can attract an unclean spirit. Remember, the lord Jesus said that his words are spirit and life. 24 Physical acts like sex, all kinds of giving, obedience and disobedience are all portals. They can either be positive or negative portals depending on how they are engaged. They can open a door for a spiritual force to enter the natural realm. Even Ananias and Sapphira died giving 25. 23 Proverbs 18:21 24 John 6:63 25 See; the book of Acts 42

The Alternate Reality How you do what you do is really a big deal. Tattoos, habits, songs (music), pictures and so on and so forth are all portals. Don t be ignorant of how these things work. Ignorance is no defense in the courts of law as much as it isn t in the realm of the spirit. There are some portals you will need to keep closed and others you will have to open. May God give you grace to know. The greatest and most attacked portal. There is a scripture I love. It says God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and for godliness 26 Gods divine power has given us, not a few things, not 90 per cent of the things. But God s divine power has given us all things we need for life and godliness. All things actually means all things. It doesn t mean a few things. It really means 26 2 Peter 1:3 GWT 43

Portals to the Alternate Reality all things. Little wonder Paul the Apostle said that all things are ours 27! Praise the lord! Perhaps the next question we need to ask ourselves is that of access: how do we cause these good things to be tangible? How can we cause them to come into manifestation? Well, there are two main ways. Firstly, who best to teach us about the realm of the spirit than the Holy Spirit himself? The Bible says: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him " Thank God it doesn t end there. It goes on to say: 10 (but) God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, especially the deep things of God 28. Praise the Lord! So, there are all things we need not just for godliness but also for life. In this context, things 27 1 Corinthians 3: 21 28 1 Corinthians 2: 9 GWT 44

The Alternate Reality that we need for the both realities; to survive and be effective in both of them have been made available. In fact, there are many that we are not even aware of, but he says that they have been made available to us by the Holy Spirit. The person of the Holy Spirit is the first link we have to the realm of the spirit. Sometimes, it s deceiving. You never know who or what you are dealing with when handling the realm of the spirit 29. But you see, the Holy Spirit can guide us into all truth 30. Discussing the person of the Holy Spirit would be an entire book and as a subject, he is not the one I really want to touch on. 29 This is true more so that the bible teaches that the Devil transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). I remember a season where I had an obsession to know more about the angelic and I had a dream in which angels visited me. As I drew closer to them, the Holy Spirit from within me said those are not who you think they are, and by the eyes of the Spirit, I saw them for who they reall y were. 30 John 16:13 45

Portals to the Alternate Reality The next very important link or portal to the realm of the spirit is faith. The bible says:... Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen 31 I love how the Amplified version drives it across. It says: Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]... I love the phrase a conviction of their reality. The reason why a lot of people have not experienced every other good thing that the lord has set for them is because of a lack of a conviction of their reality. 31 Hebrews 11: 1 AMP 46

The Alternate Reality We don t relate consciously with the realm of the spirit by anything but by faith. Remember what the Lord Jesus said in the book of Mark 11: 24? He said that whatever we desire, we must believe that we have received it and then we can have it. He didn t say that when you desire something, you must see it and then you can finally believe. You don t need to be seeing it for you to believe it. The moment you want to believe after you have seen is the moment you have defeated the whole purpose of faith. Ever heard of seeing is believing? That s what we call worldly wisdom. It doesn t work in the realm of the spirit. In the world, people believe when they see. But in the faith, we don t believe because we have seen. We see because we have believed. Take a moment and allow that to sink. There are more opposites than you may have ever imagined. It s totally an alternate reality. In the world, we save by saving 47

Portals to the Alternate Reality money for example. But in the faith, we have to give in order that we have. The Lord Jesus said to gain life you have to lose it 32 while out there, we preserve life by keeping it. Remember the man named Thomas? Obviously known for his doubt. He wouldn t believe Jesus had been resurrected until he saw him. But when Jesus appeared, he had something to say about him. He said: "You believe because you've seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me but believe 33. It shows us how it works. It shows us he mind and expectation of God. God expects us to believe first before we see. You want to be blessed? You must believe first. It is when you don t see it that you need faith. If you are seeing what you need, it ceases to be faith. It s a manifestation. 32 Matthew 10 33 John 20: 29 GWT 48

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The Alternate Reality Chapter VIII Be Real? Finally, never allow anyone to look down on your acknowledgment and belief in the alternate reality. Our faith was never meant to fit in. it s different. Be careful of the people who tell you to be real. After this learning, you would surely ask them what they mean when they ask you to be real. Which reality? Usually, when someone tells you be real, they are asking you to step out of the realm of the spirit and look with the eyes of men. With the eyes of flesh and blood. Whenever someone asks you to be real, they are essentially asking you to step out of faith and get into what we call the flesh. To use reason above faith. It s an error. Whatever you do, maintain your reality. Stay in the faith! 50

Be Real? It boils down even to our morals and to other behavioural patterns. The moral practice and beliefs in the faith are different from those employed in the world. Remember, the bible says: Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! Notice with me that it is not just the spiritual condition that changes but also the moral condition. It means that another moral code kicks in. It s like getting into a new culture that believes differently almost about everything. It believes differently about success, money, differently about relationship and differently about language etcetera. 51

The Alternate Reality As such, everything about you should change. It s an exciting and thrilling change that I believe every individual must undergo. However, people in the physical realm do not accept this way of life. In fact, people, especially old friends, are likely to make fun of you for having accepted the faith 34. Many of them will start calling you names like pastor. Others begin counting down to when you fall and re-join them. Sometimes the things we do and embrace, like speaking in tongues, don t and will just never make sense to them. I remember back in my University days on one good evening, a certain roommate was frying sausage and when the oil jumped on him, he unleashed insults out of his mouth for who knows 34 The faith to mean being born again 52

Be Real? why. We were quite a number in the room and no body dared say a word. A few minutes later, I went to do the same thing and when the oil jumped on me, I broke into tongues. When I did, everyone looked at me and laughed and made comments about how I was overdoing it and sounding weird. When I heard that, I decided I was going to confront him. I remember saying when the oil jumped on you and you insulted, nobody said anything. That was weird. When it did the same to me, I spoke in other tongues. That was weird too. But why should my weird be more weird than your weird? Have you ever thought like that? Or have you ever seen how people could sit down and drink freely in public? Why can t you also hold hands and pray in public? Why should their weird be cooler than yours? I have heard people scream insults at one 53

The Alternate Reality another and no one seemed bothered. When you scream blessings and tongues is not when it should be weird. If believers have to stop being lukewarm, then they really have to deal with fear and be proud of the reality they live in. 54

The Alternate Reality Chapter IX Too Spiritual? Sometimes, the problem is because we have given people too many rights over us. You don t have to sign any papers in order to give people rights. This unfair sell of rights is usually expressed in fear. You are afraid of what they are going to say if you become spiritual. You are afraid of losing out on who knows what. You are afraid of missing out on the fun or whatever that is. See that? There is more to fear than just being afraid of the dark. It s a spirit. It resists change in people who desire to follow God. It is designed in such a way that although you may really want to pursue God, your perception of unknown consequences overcome your desire to persist. That s how many have fallen. 55

Too Spiritual? But look, for starters, you weren t born with any of your friends, you won t die with them if the Lord tarries and you won t stand before God with them. None of them will come and stand before God and say excuse me Lord, I can speak on her behalf, I am the one who pushed her to do this or that. No! Your friends will be in their own line thinking about their own personal meeting with the Lord. Sometimes, you must take life personal. After all, it quite a personal ordeal. Brothers and sisters, don t also postpone. I need to share this. Sometimes, a lot of people treat life like they are cats. Remember the myth of the cat with nine lives? Especially youthful people. There is a sense of life in us and that s good but it must never deceive us. As such, they look like they will play with the first five lives and then be serious with the last four. In 56

The Alternate Reality fact, when the last four will be starting, they will just jump out of bed speaking in other tongues. It never works like that. Change is today! The bible teaches that there is a day called today and whenever you hear the word of the Lord, do not harden your heart 35. Remember also that our days are actually numbered 36 We have one life. There is no rehearsal. We turn one age once and never again. There is time and chance yes; but the way it shined today was only for today and never again. We only have one life. Please! ******** Then there are those who are afraid of themselves. They are afraid that they will fall. Perhaps they don t trust themselves. They have been overcome by their desires and needs to be in certain places 35 Hebrews 3:15 36 Psalm 90:12 57

Too Spiritual? and although they have fallen in love with Jesus, they are not just sure they will manage, and therein lies the fear. You see, it s not about your strength. It s not about your righteousness. It s about his strength. It s about his righteousness. It s not about how weak you are; it s about how strong God is; it s not about how young you are, it s about how old God is. That s the beauty about the New Testament dealings with God. We depend on God to keep us and not on our own strength. The bible actually teaches that God himself will preserve you blameless before his coming in your spirit, your soul and your body. He is the one who called you and he is faithful to do so 37 37 1 Thessalonians 5: 23 58

The Alternate Reality The word of the lord also teaches that God will present us to himself holy and perfect and without spot, wrinkle of any such thing 38. Glory to God! But look, it won t be us presenting ourselves to him. No! He will present us to himself. Hallelujah! ******** Then there are others who come to you and say that you are being a holier than thou. Well, maybe you actually are just becoming it and it s making them uncomfortable. A lot of people have a tendency to attack what they don t understand and what seems to challenge a weakness in them. When such begins to happen, don t worry, it s the normal relationship between light and darkness. Darkness has never comprehended light. So, it tries to fight it and to flee from it at the same time. 38 Ephesians 5: 26 59

Too Spiritual? However, those who will call you too spiritual are my interest. Those never cease to amaze me. You know, ignorance is such a bother. That s just plane ignorance gone on rampage brothers and sisters. Too spiritual? What s that? Let me explain. Well, more technically speaking, there is no such thing as being too spiritual. This is because we are all spiritual people. It just depends on what side or what temperature of being spiritual you are. There are people who are spiritually cold and others who are spiritually hot and then there are others who are spiritually lukewarm. The Lord Jesus Christ discussed this in a bit more detail when he said: I know what you have done, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 But 60

The Alternate Reality since you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I'm going to spit you out of my mouth 39. Have you noticed the accurate way of describing someone s spiritual state? He mention being cold, hot and lukewarm. He just didn t make some careless statement like many do. So, if someone says spiritual 40, we like to attach a meaning to it, but we really ought not to because not only does it make no sense, it kills the faith of those who are beginning. It is actually meant to. What do they mean by he is too spiritual? Is it to mean spiritually hot or vice versa. Telling someone that they are being too spiritual is as funny as walking to someone just to tell them that they are being too temperature. It s as dumb as 39 Revelation 3:15 GWT 40 I must also warn of context. The bible usually teaches of spiritual men to mean people who are spiritually awake. It never talks about being to0 spiritual. People usually use this phrase to mean that someone is overdoing it but as we are explaining it in the man text, it s irregular. 61

Too Spiritual? that. So, next time someone says that you are being too spiritual, just make fun of it in your heart. Don t let it bother you. What do you mean by too temperature? 62

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