REDRAWN LINES

Most lines and boundaries in our lives are drawn in our own heads. Who likes who, where trust starts and stops, what groups exist and don't exist, loyalty lines, legacies...
 
Paul (author of 12 of the New Testament books of the Bible), opens our eyes to the deeper 'lines' of life's realities. He writes,
 
'We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.' (Ephesians 6:12)
 
That is a significant empire of spirit world right there! Rulers, authorities, powers, evil... Jesus himself addressed this kingdom of darkness when he said, 'The prince of this dark world stands defeated.' (John 16:11) Prince? Again, we see power structures.
 
This spirit world is not one to obsess about, but is real, and is far bigger, more complex and more populated than our own temporal and physical world. Another fascinating scripture about seeing behind the 'seen', is when Elijah opens the eyes of his servant to see the real forces that surround them. (2 Kings 6:8-23)
 
Interestingly, our own lives as followers of Christ are 'on display to the heavenly bodies'. (Ephesians 3:10)
 
So what really drives us when we act and respond or anticipate situations? What structures and realities are we believing, referencing, deferring to? What princes are we bowing to, norms following, values navigating, deities honoring?  
 
Jesus said, 'Anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.'
(Matthew 7:24-25)