Prologue: 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, what I call Satan’s false reality
of life. 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 - Satan) to slow down, much less
reverse the onslaught.
My life altering choice
I have been on the front lines of this war since 1980,
when I was honored to lead my first soul to the saving knowledge of Jesus
Christ as a counselor at a Jr. High Youth Camp.
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 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 – I’ll explain my usage of the
Matrix Trilogy in a few pages) 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. I am going to use the Matrix Trilogy
as my vehicle to communicate the truths of the unseen realm. I encourage you to buy and watch the Matrix
series. I promise that you will
begin to understand what is going on beyond the veil of the physical, and catch
a glimpse of the invisible spiritual warfare that does not want you to grow in
grace.
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 those spiritual faculties before
Spiritual Nutrient: 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 trivial; it is
not.
Spiritual Nutrient:
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
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 see – one of the dragon’s
greatest tools of propaganda is the church and institutions of higher religious
education. Stay with me; I promise that
I’ll back that statement up with sufficient evidence.
Demons and Fallen Angels
As in the Matrix Trilogy, those pesky sentinels (again … I will explain the
usage of the Matrix Trilogy in a moment) 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.
There Is A Way of Escape
It will be my quest, throughout the pages of this book, to
give you the tools necessary to unleash the power that resides within you. If you are not in possession of the truth,
then it is my sincere hope that this book will lead you to ultimate truth.
My Journey to the Center of the Truth
Before getting too deep into the beginnings of the false
reality, I must confess that I had previously looked upon this concept with
more than a little skepticism. I thought
it was wrong for me to even consider it, but there came a point during my
tenure as a pastor that I wanted to have some questions answered.
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.
Spiritual Nutrient:
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. Always
pay attention to the books you read, the people you meet and the places you
go. God is seeking to direct our paths
and these are His primary methods.
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. And that was the beginning of why Satan does
not want you do grow through the 7 stages of spiritual growth. Satan does not want you to gain an
understanding of the spiritual battle raging around us at all times. Satan wants the number of people impacted by
your salvation to stop at one …. YOU!
Don’t let him have the victory!
Decide today to run the race of life as effectively and powerfully as
possible. Begin the journey to grow in
grace on purpose and with purpose!
Live OUT LOUD!
Mark Harrell - Habakkuk 2:2
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