Have you ever been in a situation in your life or in your ministry where you just didn't know what to do? Are you facing a situation like that right now?

If so, pay close attention because I'm about to tell you something that will really help you. And after I do, you'll probably want to slap yourself on the forehead and say, "Dear heavens, I knew that! Why haven't I been doing that all along?"

I know you'll feel like that because that's how I felt after the Lord said it to me some time ago.

Here's what happened. I'd been wrestling with a problem we were facing in ministry for days and I just couldn't seem to find the answer to it. I knew there was an answer, but I just couldn't find it. So I thought...and I thought...and I thought about it.

My brain would just go "round and round." One moment, I'd think to myself, Okay, we'll just do this. But then I'd think, No, I can't do that because if I do that it will cause a different problem in another area.

I stayed awake one whole night just running in mental circles like that. The next morning I was starting to get tired and my mind got quiet enough for the Lord to speak to me. He impressed me to read a prophecy that was given by one of the fathers of my faith way back in 1977.

As I began to read it, these words leapt out at me. The unseen realm shall become as real to you as the seen realm, to live, operate and minister in that realm and bring the blessings of heaven in answer into the lives of people....

The Realm Of The Spirit
Suddenly I knew what the Lord was saying to me. He was saying, "Lynne, the answer isn't in the natural realm. It isn't in the mental realm. The answer is in the realm of the spirit. You'll have to get over in the spirit to get it."

I don't mind telling you, I was shocked. I wouldn't think the Lord would have to say that to me, would you? After all, I'm a minister of the Gospel! I teach continually on praying by the unction and being led by the Spirit. Yet God had to remind me when I ran into that problem that the answer was in the realm of the spirit.

One of the reasons we have to go to the realm of the spirit for the answers to the situations we face today is because in most cases that's where those situations originated. We're wrestling with spiritual problems and you can't solve spiritual problems with natural solutions!

Sensing Something Wrong
I remember one incident Brother Hagin talks about that illustrates this so well. Years ago, he went to preach in a church that was pastored by a dear friend of his. When Brother Hagin stood behind the pulpit of that church to preach, he could sense that something was wrong. Something was inhibiting the preaching of the Word.

If Brother Hagin had been like many of us today, he might have started trying to figure that problem out mentally. He might have thought, Well, maybe the people are just lethargic. We ought to sing some faster-paced songs at the beginning of the service. Or, maybe the lighting in the sanctuary is bad and it distracts people. We probably need to get some electricians in here to put in some new light fixtures.

He and that pastor could have worn themselves out making natural adjustments but none of those adjustments would have fixed the problem.

But, thank God, that's not what they did.

They went into the sanctuary and began to pray. They got over into the realm of the spirit and when they did Brother Hagin looked up and saw a devil sitting right up over that pulpit. Needless to say, Brother Hagin ran that devil out of there and the problem was solved!

"Now that's all well and good, Sister Hammond," someone might say, "but we can't just get in the spirit anytime we want."

Yes, we can! The apostle Paul said for us to pray at all times in the spirit (Eph. 6:18). He said we should live in the spirit and walk in the spirit (Gal. 5:25). As far as I can tell, that pretty much covers all the time we have!

Actually, I'm convinced that if we spent half as much energy on getting in the spirit as we do on struggling with things in the flesh, we'd be able to walk in the spirit 100 percent of the time!

Jesus As Our Example
Don't tell me that can't be done, either, because Jesus did it. He lived in a natural body yet He was constantly in the spirit. He didn't walk around just seeing by natural light, He walked around illuminated by the Holy Spirit. He lived in spiritual daylight.

That's what He meant in John 11:9. There, He just told His disciples in John 11 that He was going back to Judea to take care of Lazarus. He'd been informed four days earlier by messengers that had been sent to Him that Lazarus was ill.

But He didn't jump up right then to go heal him. Why? Because He didn't walk just by natural light. He walked in the spirit and the Spirit of God had illuminated Him about the situation. He knew by the Spirit what He was supposed to do.

So when the time came for Him to go to Lazarus' house and the disciples said, "What? The Jews will kill you if you go back there!" Jesus replied, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him" (v. 9).

Jesus was saying to them, "Friends, don't worry about me. I'm not going to stumble and fall. I'm walking in spiritual light. I know what I'm doing!"

Then He proceeded to tell them, "Lazarus is dead."

Have you ever stopped to wonder how Jesus knew that? No human being had come to tell Him. The last natural word He'd received about Lazarus was that he was sick. But Jesus didn't depend on natural words. He got over in the spirit and heard the words of the Father telling Him what the problem was, what He should do about it, and what the result would be.

Because of that, Jesus walked in absolute victory even in the face of death itself.

Living In The Spirit Realm
Let's press in more and more to live the way that Jesus lived. To live in the realm of the spirit.

What does it mean to be in the spirit? It simply means to be more aware of God than you are of anything else. To be more aware of His leadings than you are the proddings of your flesh. To be more aware of His power than you are of the demonic pressure that is coming against you.

Ephesians 1:3 says we are blessed "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places." Let's get over there where our blessings are! Let's worship until we become acutely aware of the spiritual realm. Let's pray until our consciousness is lifted to that place.

Let's press into God until we get past the distractions of our flesh. Let's pray and walk and live in the spirit!

I believe that by the grace of God we can do it! Do you?

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