Scripture: Colossians 2 v 5:
"For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with
you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of
your faith in Christ."
In this verse, Paul is telling the Colossian Church that
he was able to monitor their meetings and progress even though he was not there
in his fleshly body. He was able to enjoy their spiritual growth be being able
to visit them in his spiritual body.
This was not in any way a form of astral travel or astral
projection, which are occultic and wrong as any astral travel leaves your body
and soul unprotected and vulnerable to demons. Paul was able to be present
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Remember Philip in Acts
8 v 39-40 being transported by the Holy Spirit to Azotus. in the
writings of John G. Lake he speaks of being taken in Spirit from South Africa
to Wales to pray for a woman in an asylum who needed deliverance. Six weeks
later she stood before him in Johannesburg
healed and in her right mind.
Satan cannot originate anything but trouble. He can only
take the creation of God and tamper with it. In Satan's kingdom Godly prophecy
becomes fortune-telling and divination; Spiritual travel becomes astral
projection; Divine healing becomes faith healing; deliverance from demons
becomes exorcism by strange and dangerous methods. Do not be deceived by the
counterfeits in Satan's kingdom.
Many years ago I was asked to pray in a group for a man,
a chemist, who had suicided on multiple concoction of pills in his own shop.
The paramedics declared him dead on the scene as rigor mortis had already set
in. His wife begged and persuaded them to take him to ICU and have him hooked
up to life support equipment.
This was on a Saturday afternoon. We prayed together on
Sunday. I never met his wife then. On Monday the doctors wanted to switch off
the machines. Brain was a flat line for this man. She begged them not to do it.
Tuesday at noon this dead man sat up alive, asked for a glass of water, pulled
all the tubes out and discharged himself from hospital with no memory of what
he had done. He never knew we prayed.
Two years later his wife phoned me and asked me to
urgently come to her house as he was suicidal again. He never knew I was coming
but he met me at his front door in his shorts. His face went white and he ran
through the house. His wife yelled Go after him. So I ran through this strange
big house. I found him in the bathroom in the shower, shorts on the floor. I
asked him why he ran.
"You were there when I died," he said,
"You pulled me out of the pit!" "Who are you? Are you a
spirit?". I said no I am a person and I don't remember doing that. He truly recognised me but I was just giving
God the glory that He could save this man's life. That day he became born again
and a child of God.
Prayer: Father God, in Paul's day there was no media or
social networking so Your gifts of spiritual communication were vital. They are
just as vital today to save lives and save souls that are perishing. Let us
rejoice and give thanks for God's powerful gifts and pray that they shall increase to reach all those in peril. In
Jesus' name. Amen.