The Clash of Two Worlds: Spiritual Reality, the Heavenlies, and Warfare (Ephesians 1-6)

by: Jeff Rowland

Storm clouds were hanging around, and the gathering still happened. There were a few laughs, a little teasing about guitars, and that familiar small-group honesty you only get when people show up as they are. No stage, no steeple, just believers meeting in a garage and asking God for something real.

The heart of the message was simple and weighty: two worlds collide every day. One is what you see and feel, the other is what God says is already true in Christ. If you’ve felt tired, stuck, or like you can’t climb out of what’s pressing on you, this teaching puts words to that struggle. It also points to where strength comes from, and why worship, prayer, and the Word aren’t extras.

Gathering in the garage, with big prayers on the table

The night carried a clear sense of purpose. This wasn’t presented as a meeting built around personal comfort. It was framed as training for intercession, prayer that reaches beyond self and takes hold of what others need.

That focus showed up in the prayer “objects” the group has been returning to over time:

• Reclaiming prodigals, calling sons and daughters home.
• Asking the Holy Spirit to fill emptiness and inner voids.
• Seeking the presence of God, not just routine.
• Praying for family reconciliation.
• Responding to God’s call with obedience.
• Receiving a hunger for the Word of God.
• Praying for a nation to return to the Lord.

The reminder was blunt and needed: “This is not about you. This is about others.” Intercession shifts the center of gravity. It pulls the heart away from self-protection and into responsibility and love.

And even in a small gathering, the aim wasn’t small. Scripture gives a picture of a handful of people turning the world upside down. If 12 men could shake cities, then a small group can pray for a community, and keep going until that community changes.

There was also a brief mention of David White and The Father’s House, a ministry connected with work in Africa, with a note that an address was shared for anyone who wanted to sow into that work. The point wasn’t fundraising pressure, it was honor for gospel fruit, including a statement that more than half a million souls have been won to Christ through that ministry.

The war of two realities, and why it feels so personal

The teaching opened with a simple picture: a dot representing where you live every day. This dot is the physical reality, and it’s real. Bills, pain, conflict, medical reports, temptations, memories, fatigue, all of it lands here.

The physical reality: “flesh government” and the rule of the senses

The physical world comes with what was called “flesh government,” meaning life led by the senses. What you see, hear, taste, touch, and feel can begin to govern how you think, what you choose, and how you respond.

That matters because the senses don’t stop at information. They stir emotion. What you see can flood you with fear, anger, jealousy, or despair. What you hear can trigger shame, defensiveness, or hopelessness. Physical reality can press so hard that it feels like the only thing that exists.

The warning was direct: the senses will attack your soul. In this framework, the soul includes mind, will, and emotions. The body lives in the physical world, the soul processes and reacts, and the spirit is made alive in Christ. When the senses run the show, the soul gets hit first. Thought patterns warp, desires shift, reactions intensify, and behavior follows.

There was a nod to the language used in Jude and James about being “sensual,” meaning a life directed by the senses instead of the Spirit. That kind of living doesn’t require open rebellion, it can happen quietly, day after day, until a believer feels trapped in what they can see and feel.

The spiritual reality: the “heavenlies,” and the upward pull of the Holy Spirit

Above that dot was another line, another reality, described in Ephesians as the heavenlies. The call to “walk in the Spirit” isn’t poetic language. It’s a real shift in where life is lived from.

The message acknowledged something many believers feel but rarely say out loud: you can know you should have passion for Christ and still feel like you don’t have the energy to get there. Age, suffering, disappointment, and constant battles can drain a person. The speaker shared from his own life, mentioning being “beat up,” going through wars, and even cancer. The desire may be present, but the strength to rise can feel absent.

So where does the lift come from? Not willpower. Not intellect. The teaching pinned that “upward trajectory” on the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship can become part of that lift. Not because music is magic, but because Spirit-anointed worship can wake the heart. It can turn attention upward, unlock hunger, and bring a believer into a deeper awareness of God.

A key contrast was repeated: in the physical reality there is intellect, but in the spiritual reality there is mystery. Paul spoke of revelation that didn’t come through learning alone, but through a Spirit encounter. The visible world is real, but the invisible world is also real. Moses endured, Hebrews says, “as seeing him who is invisible.” The point landed hard: if you only walk by what you can see, you’ll end up face down in a ditch again and again.

Ephesians shows what’s already true in Christ, right now

One of the most challenging claims in the message is that, according to Scripture, believers are not merely trying to reach the heavenlies someday. In Christ, they are already connected to that reality. The problem is that the soul, thoughts, emotions, behavior, often lives as if that isn’t true.

Ephesians was used to map what exists “up there,” and why it matters “down here.”

Ephesians 1:3, blessings that aren’t stored in the physical world

The first anchor text was Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”

That verse was treated like a location statement. The “where” matters. The teaching called it the geographical spot where all blessings flow, meaning the full supply of spiritual blessing is found in the heavenlies, in Christ.

That helps explain why many believers feel like blessing is always out of reach. If someone is stuck living only in the physical reality, then even true promises can feel distant. The supply is real, but the person is trying to draw it from the wrong place.

There was also a paraphrased sense given to the verse: God is worthy of praise, and He is continuously speaking His language over His people in heavenly places. That theme leads into what follows in Ephesians 1, where Paul lists what God says about believers.

Ephesians 1:19-20 and 2:5-6, power and position in the heavenlies

Next came Ephesians 1:19-20, describing the “exceeding greatness” of God’s power toward those who believe, the same power shown when God raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand “in the heavenly places.” The message tied that directly to resurrection power. It’s not only a doctrine to agree with, it’s strength God gives.

Then Ephesians 2:5-6 tightened the focus: even when we were dead in sins, God made us alive together with Christ, “and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Two words stood out: together and union.

Union with Christ means the believer’s position isn’t earned through effort. It’s granted in Christ. And union with other believers means this isn’t a solo climb. The message didn’t soften that point. It said plainly that we need each other, whether we like that fact or not. God didn’t hold a committee meeting to ask if we prefer independence. He called us into a body.

This also connected to Romans 7 and 8. Romans 7 pictures a person trapped, “the good that I would I do not,” and “O wretched man that I am.” Romans 8 turns the corner: “There is therefore now no condemnation.” The teaching highlighted a pattern: when Paul moves into the Spirit’s power, condemnation loses its grip, and intercession becomes possible in ways that are beyond words.

Ephesians 3:9-10 and 6:12, wisdom and warfare in high places

Ephesians doesn’t stop with blessing and power. It also names conflict.

In Ephesians 3:9-10, Paul speaks of “the fellowship of the mystery” that had been hidden in God, then says that through the church the manifold wisdom of God is made known to principalities and powers in the heavenly places. That means the heavenlies are not only where blessing is enjoyed, they are where wisdom is displayed.

And then comes the familiar line in Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers… rulers of the darkness of this world… spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The message brought those threads together. The same letter that opens with blessing in the heavenlies ends with warfare against spiritual evil connected to “high places.” Two worlds collide, and believers are equipped to stand in that collision.

Word, prayer, and worship are tools that move you upward

A big part of the night was practical. If believers are meant to live from spiritual reality, what helps them get there?

The teaching described an upward pathway, and named several tools God uses on that path. The list wasn’t meant to be complete, but it was meant to be clear.

• The Word of God is a tool that stabilizes the mind and feeds the spirit. Without it, a person stays low, dragging across every pothole in life and absorbing every hit. The Word lifts the gaze and corrects what the senses try to convince you is final.
• Prayer is more than a habit, it’s engagement. It’s how believers ask, seek, knock, and intercede for things bigger than themselves. It’s also how a weary heart finds strength that doesn’t come from human effort.
• Worship was emphasized in a stronger way. Worship is not treated as a mood or a personality preference. The message said plainly, “It ain’t up to you how to do it.” God gives commands about worship: shout, speak, lift holy hands, clap. The pushback against “I’m quiet” or “I’m shy” wasn’t meant to shame anyone, it was meant to expose how quickly comfort can replace obedience.

A hymn lyric was used to show this isn’t new teaching. The line remembered was “All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down.” In other words, the gathering can have correct words, correct structure, and still lack power if the Spirit is not welcomed and honored.

The warning that followed was sharp: when worship becomes optional, people lose the energy to rise. Then they create a theology that says all the good things of God are only for the future. The message called that foolish, not because heaven isn’t real, but because Ephesians places blessing and power in present union with Christ.

The warfare equation: perception, behavior, and what you value

To bring it home, the teaching introduced a simple equation, described as something you’d hear in basic psychology, yet rooted in Scripture’s view of human life:

Perception + action/behavior + a predetermined target of value = wellness

Perception is a “vision of thought,” how you see reality and interpret what happens. Action and behavior are the steps you take because of that perception. The target of value is what you aim at, what you call “worth it.”

The point was not that psychology replaces Scripture. The point was that many ideas about health and change echo what God already designed, but they fall short without the Holy Spirit’s power. For a believer, the true target of value is Christ-likeness. The path there includes the Word, prayer, and worship. Without the Spirit’s power, the climb stalls.

Obstructions also exist on that path. Ephesians 6 doesn’t call them stress, habits, or personality traits. It calls them principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness. That’s why the message insisted that everything God provides in the heavenlies equips believers for warfare.

A striking claim followed: it’s possible to be walking in spiritual reality and five minutes later be pulled back into the physical reality. It’s also possible to be wrapped up in the senses and then be lifted quickly through one encounter with a holy God. Many Christians recognize that tension. You can live in two realities in the same day, sometimes in the same hour.

The consequences of refusing warfare were stated plainly. Without it, prodigals don’t come home. Families fracture. The felt presence of God fades from gatherings. The flesh fills the void, and over time it reshapes what people value until self becomes the highest value.

A call for seasoned warriors, shared burden, and a shift in season

The message didn’t stay theoretical. It became personal, naming people in the room and honoring what they’ve carried.

Timothy was mentioned as someone seen preaching in a church in Venezuela in 2016, faithfully serving even when others might not see the cost. Blake, 28 years old, was described as a young man who has taken heavy hits in life, and is preparing to go to Uganda to see the work connected to David White. Others were named as “beat up” by life but still standing: Bill, Carl, Bob, and Frank. The repeated theme wasn’t pity. It was respect. These were called seasoned veterans in God’s army.

The need was clear: no one carries this burden alone. The gathering was called to help in simple ways that matter, praying before meetings, worshiping with intention, and taking intercession seriously. There was a strong line that stuck: there’s nothing in this physical reality worth losing one more second of union with God.

Near the end came a sense of timing. The message claimed a shift of seasons, a call of the Holy Spirit to reclaim what God poured out in earlier years, renewed worship, renewed filling, renewed love and joy replacing bitterness and resentment, peace replacing chaos. That kind of change doesn’t come from hype. It comes when intercessors rise and do real warfare.

The commitment was framed in simple terms: meet on Fridays, keep praying, and draw near to God, trusting His promise to draw near to His people. Not a performance, not a show, but a people hungry for the heavenlies to be more real than the garage around them.

Conclusion: don’t settle for the lower world

Two worlds are pressing on you every day, the one you can measure with your senses, and the one God declares true in Christ. Ephesians doesn’t treat the heavenlies as a distant concept, it treats them as the place where blessing, power, union, and wisdom are found, and where believers are equipped to stand against real spiritual opposition. Word, prayer, and worship aren’t decorations on Christian life, they’re tools that lift the heart into what’s already true. The call is simple: rise, don’t carry it alone, and don’t stop short of the reality God is offering.