My Quest for
Reality Living
Again, I awake in the middle of the night in a pool of
sweat, shaking uncontrollably as I have just witnessed another individual being
sucked into the void of the spiritual matrix.
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen this, both in my dreams and
in reality. The spiritual matrix is
real, and seemingly no amount of effort is making a difference in thwarting the
attempts of the enemy (the architect of the false reality) to slow down, much
less reverse the onslaught.
My life altering choice
I have been on the front lines of this war since
1980. I was freed from the powers of the
matrix on March 7, 1977. A
battle-tested warrior by the name of Steve Herbster sat me down and explained
to me how the matrix (false reality created by Satan) had been blinding me to
the reality of my purpose. He began
sharing with me how that I was created for a purpose, and that I could know
where I came from, what my purpose entailed and what happens to me when I
die. Agent Smith (in the Matrix
Trilogy) was right; even though our purpose is to live and die, it is our
choices in between that make the difference.
The choice you make as you are presented with the truth of the false
reality will make all the difference as to the function of your “program” in
the reality that is yet to come.
Steve Herbster gave me an opportunity to choose. As in the Matrix Trilogy series, I
could choose the blue pill and reject the truth, or I could take the red
pill and be ushered into the reality of why the Creator placed me on this
earth. That was the beginning of a
process that has never ceased to challenge and motivate me. Steve gave me an opportunity to stay in the
confines of the false reality (and yes, it’s sweet for a season, but payday is
someday), or choose reality living. I
chose life, and that was just the beginning.
Like Neo – as soon as I ingested the red pill I quickly
became aware that I could not move my “body parts,” and could not “see.” My spiritual mentors (like Morpheus) told me
that this was normal. They explained to
me that it’s because I’ve never used them before. They said my spiritual muscles had no
strength; up until now, I had been blind to the truth of reality living. That was when I first understood that to
overcome the powers of the false reality I must be able to tap into a higher
spiritual power. My physical
strength in the spiritual conflict counted for zippo (I Tim. 4:8). I was lost!
I didn’t know where to turn! This
new world was wonderful and terrible at the same time. I was afraid!
I was afraid because there were so many unanswered questions rushing
through the concourses of my mind; questions that would be answered in time,
but only as I was ready and willing to forget about myself, and commit to the
purpose for which I was created (Psalm 102:18).
Choices Are Vital
My first major choice, after being freed from the confines
of the false reality, was who would be my companions. This may seem a little anal; it really is
not. When you take the “red pill” of truth,
it will be your choice of friends that can ultimately dictate success or
failure in your quest. Your adversary
knows this; he has diabolically inserted people, known as “rogue programs,”
into your life to keep you from growing in knowledge about the spiritual
matrix. Many times these “rogue
programs” are our spiritual leaders. The
architect of the false reality knows that if you become knowledgeable about how
the matrix works, and how it began, that you will be a danger to him. So, while you are not “of the matrix,” it is
his goal to keep you bound to the delicacies “in the matrix.” As you will find out for yourself one day
– one of the dragon’s greatest tools of propaganda is the church and
institutions of higher religious education.
Demons and Fallen Angels
As in the Matrix Trilogy, those pesky sentinels are
everywhere. These are the physical
things in your life that the enemy uses to sidetrack you and keep your focus
somewhere other than on your purpose. They
don’t have to be inherently evil either.
They just keep you from dealing with the main objective. They are distractions. Good things if not
controlled, but distractions for the enemy to use against you.
The
Divine Appointment
So, why do we stay in bondage to the powers of the false
reality when the Holy Spirit resides within us?
At a foundational level I believe it is because we don’t know who we
really are in Christ. I recall the first
time I became aware of whom I really was outside of the false reality. Wham, Bam -- the lights came on. To this day, the excitement, enthusiasm and
energy that coursed through my spirit has not diminished; it has grown! I am excited to confront the powers of the
false reality, because I know who I am in Christ (I John 3:2); I am battling
for an eternal purpose that has already been won. I am not fighting toward victory; I am
fighting from victory. Jesus has
already won the war, but He is looking for people who will willingly choose to
join Him in the everyday battles for truth.
How It Really Began
At this point, I must back up and shed some light on a
truth that the enemy would like to stay in the shadows. This light will reveal
the beginning of the spiritual matrix.
This has everything to do with who you are and your purpose in
life. I do not jest by saying that
most of “Christendom” is blind to the truth of the beginning of the false
reality. The enemy is the author of
confusion, and is doing all he can to change truth at its “source” – the Bible. He is doing this so there will be
disagreement about how he (Lucifer) came into existence, what he is doing now,
and his ultimate defeat. Remember –
according to agent Smith (in the Matrix Trilogy), everything that has a
beginning has an ending. Listen to the
words of Psalm 138:2: I
will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness
and for thy truth: for thou hast
magnified THY WORD above ALL THY NAME. This
is very interesting; it deserves comment.
Why would the Word of God be magnified above the name of God? The reason is simple. If you change the Words of God, then you can
change who God / Jesus is; you can also change the identity of the enemy. Lucifer, Satan, the devil, the crooked
serpent, the great dragon, leviathan, and beelzebub’s first attack on mankind
was to attack the source of truth – that source being the Words of God. He has never changed his strategy. If he can get you to doubt the truth (John
17:17), then he can succeed at making sure you are bound in the false
reality until you die. Checkmate --
Lucifer wins! The following pages
will answer a lot of questions previously unanswered by the majority of
spiritual leaders. Now, let’s take a
journey back in time; back to the origin of the dragon himself, the architect
of the false reality.
I remember it well.
It was July of 1995. My family
was on its way to Sarasota, Florida to visit my wife’s sister when I “decided”
to call Ken (my youth pastor during my high school years), and ask him if we
could possibly have lunch together. Little
did I know that the Holy Spirit directed this appointment? It was the providence of God leading me to an
understanding of the false reality.
On our way back to Charlotte, North Carolina, we stopped by Ocala,
stayed the night and part of the next day to talk with Ken and his wife
Karin. He started the evening by asking
me what I thought was a simple question.
He said, “Mark, what is the theme of the Bible?” I blurted out confidently (an easy one –
right?): “Jesus Christ is the theme of the Bible.” “No it isn’t,” was Ken’s reply. Well, that floored me; I picked my ego off
the floor and Ken proceeded to show me from the Bible how Jesus was the central
person of the Bible, but He was not the central theme of the Bible. He explained to me that the theme of the
Bible is about a kingdom, and that in the beginning, God had established a
perfect kingdom for all its inhabitants to enjoy. He continued by saying that after a long
period of time, His anointed cherub started wanting what was not his to
possess. Lucifer attempted a hostile
takeover of the mountain of God by convincing one third of the angelic beings
to rebel with him, and usurp the kingdom from God. Lucifer failed; although the war he began in
the ancient past has continued to this day.
That was the beginning of the false reality.
The above conversation was the beginning of my journey to
truly understand the Bible and its plan for our lives, this earth, and the
universe. Don’t allow Satan to keep you
blinded to truth while playing church each week. Jesus could return for His bride today; RU
Ready to give account for your actions, as they match up to His purpose, at the
judgment seat of Christ. Maybe Today!
Live Out Loud!
Mark D. Harrell – Habakkuk 2:2
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