Being Spiritual Does Not Mean You Understand The Power Of God- Heaven Rules

Being Spiritual Does Not Mean You Understand The Power Of God — Heaven Rules

Most people I’ve talked with over the years, while sharing the Gospel, have sincerely been spiritual people. The atheists that I have spoken with has been very small in number. The words (spiritual person) serve as an umbrella for all types of false belief, like cults, new age, nature worship, angel worship, satanic worship, crystals, any form of idolatry, etc.

As I have reflected on the life of Nebuchadnezzar, as I have read the Bible this year, I see three facts in his life. He was hungry for spiritual knowledge, not God. He had pride because of everything God allowed him to have. Lastly, he thought he had control over humanity. I want to look at all three and bring application points to beware of from these three principals.

1.      He was hungry for the spiritual, but not God.

Nebuchadnezzar had a hunger for spiritual things. This is one reason why Daniel and his friends were led into Babylon. The poor and illiterate people stayed in Israel to manage what king Nebuchadnezzar had conquered. He wanted people from Israel who were handsome, educated, and able to learn the ways of the Chaldeans quickly. Daniel and his friends fit the description perfectly.

The way of the Chaldeans was the way of astrology, sorcery, and black magic. They cast spells, interpreted dreams, and told the future through sorcery.

Daniel was sent to Babylon to be more spiritually educated in the Chaldeans' literature and all the other disciplines. He excelled in all of his learnings. God had a purpose behind all his success. He would use him as a key to unlock Nebuchadnezzar’s visions and dreams.

Now Nebuchadnezzar had many wisemen—sorcerers—who knew many things; but they could not help when he was most perplexed. Men in power like to understand and control of every circumstance.

However, this is where Nebuchadnezzar found himself needing more understanding when it came to his dream. Put yourself in his shoes. He dominated the world in that moment (or most of the known world at the time). He had conquered mighty nations and taken captive the Israelite people to serve him in his country. Here is the beginning line to one of His decrees.

King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! (Daniel 4:1)   

There was nothing that Nebuchadnezzar did not have control over at this point and time in his kingdom—except one thing: the one true living God (who Daniel served). This was a part of God’s plan to humble the most powerful man alive- at that time. In all the Chaldean spirituality, they could not give the king the answer he needed—what he dreamed and the meaning of it. All the spiritually wise men—in his opinion—that he surrounded himself with could not help.

How many spiritual people do you know? Are they willing to talk with you about spiritual things? When was the last time you tried to start a conversation with them about the one who rules heaven and earth? Daniel took his opportunity to stay humble and let God use him in a powerful man’s life.

But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living person, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind. (Dan 2:30)

Daniel states, “I am no better than anyone else,” but God wanted the spiritual person (Nebuchadnezzar) to know what the dream meant. Dream interpretation aside, your spiritual friends and loved ones need to know what an authentic spiritual life is. They need to submit to the power of heaven—the one true living God.

God gave a pagan king a picture of the future kingdoms’ rise and fall. However, he had no understanding. Your spiritual friends and family members may be spiritual, but do they understand the one true living God correctly? They may hunger for spiritual experiences but have nothing to judge their experiences, other than their own fleeting and fluctuating emotions and feelings.

Nebuchadnezzar wanted spiritual knowledge but did not want to submit to the power that knowledge pointed to. How many do we know who are enamored by the idea of God but want nothing with the objective reality that is God? Remember, we have the honor to be in their lives, pointing them to that truth.

You may say, “Tommy, you are being a little unfair with Nebuchadnezzar.” Let’s look at what he did when the dream was interpreted. The statue he saw in his dream was four major kingdoms in human history, but a stone uncut by human hands struck the statue and destroyed it, and the stone grew into a mighty mountain.

He should have humbled himself before the God of creation (the growing stone represented in his dream), but he did not. Go back and read Daniel 2. Statues are made with man’s hands, but notice the text says that the stone was uncut by human hands. This is a picture of God’s kingdom. Man does not establish it, but God does, and He is the one growing His kingdom through the Gospel of His Son. How does man enter the kingdom of God? By humbly place faith in Jesus, (the growing stone mountain) in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

This leads me to my second point; his pride prevented him from submitting to the dream’s interpretation.

2.      He had pride because of everything that God allowed him to have.

How many of these spiritual people don’t want to submit to God because they “have it all together?” Instead of humbling himself and worshipping the one who was represented in his dream as the stone mountain, he did the opposite because he had a heart of an unbeliever. He wanted to rule supreme.  Instead of listening to the dream’s interpretation and asking more about the stone mountain (the Triune God), he builds a golden statue.

The difference is that instead of the head being just gold and the rest of the body being other metals representing the different kingdoms through history, he makes the whole thing out of Gold. This represents his heart after he hears the interpretation from Daniel. He wanted his kingdom to rule over all the other kingdoms. He was setting himself up for war against God. Heaven rules, but he wanted to challenge that truth. This is the heart of anyone who does not know Christ. Heaven rules but they challenge that in their sin and rebellion.

In their love for sin, humanity will either set themselves up as gods or worship idols that dishonor the one true living God. Nebuchadnezzar had people, land, and money. He wanted people to worship him. Most people in the 21st century may not have as much as him, but they are just as bad in their hearts. They and their false gods rule, not the King of heaven. This is the core of a heart of pride. It refuses to humble to the God of heaven, who has ultimate power and authority over all things. They are warring against God. They think they are in control of all things in their life.

This leads me to my final point.

3.      Nebuchadnezzar thought he had control over humanity.

He was the most powerful man alive during this time of history. He had the most property, power, and the highest position. He defeated many kings in battle, conquered their lands, and made their people slaves to the Chaldean customs, gods, and government. All his power, property, and position had been given by the hand of all mighty God, yet this was the very God that he refused to acknowledge and worship.

The principle that we must understand here is that they want to control and will do everything in their power to snatch control from God and reign as king over their own lives. However, God is gracious and gives us a warning as he did with Nebuchadnezzar. Before Nebuchadnezzar went insane for seven years and ate grass like a wild beast, God gave him a sign through his dream and vision and graced him with someone to interpret for him. However, he refused to heed the warning.

What was the content of the warning? Stop sinning and turn by choosing righteousness. Don’t oppress the poor and care for their needs—some of the poor were the slaves he forcefully brought into his land out of Israel.

He refused God’s warning, so God made him go mad like a beast. What kind of application can we take away from this historical narrative for us who live in the 21st century? Most think they are way too civilized to believe in such a fanciful story like this. However, this story was a historical event that actually took place, and humanity’s current beastliness is unfolding for all to see.

Some are mutilating their bodies to fulfill their brokenness inside. People are consumed by their animalistic impulses for sex with whatever or whomever they want, so they want the right to watch pornography on prime-time shows, and those in power lust for more power and control, slowly robbing the average person of their God-given freedoms.

They may not be as wild and insane as Nebuchadnezzar was for those seven years; however, God allowing them to follow their rebellious hearts shows how depraved and lustful they are. Their lives show that they are not in their right mind. If they would heed His warning, turn away, and come to His mercy, they would find grace.

If you have not received the grace of Jesus, do so today. You may be spiritual, but you do not know the one true God. See that your pride and idolatry have offended His holiness. Place faith in Jesus (the growing stone mountain) and be forgiven for your sins today.

4.      How should this motivate you to witness to spiritual people

Champions remember that spiritual people are willing to talk about religious things. We need to take advantage of this in three ways

a.      Let them talk about their spirituality

Take time to find out more about what they believe. Remember, just because someone says they are spiritual does not mean they believe in the one true living God. Just because someone says they are a Christian does not mean they truly believe. Enjoy the conversation and getting to know the person. Here are two questions that will help clarify what they believe. What do you mean by that? How did you come to that conclusion?

b.      Remember to review what they are saying, so they will know you are listening. 

This will go a long way to show that you are really paying attention and will allow you to ask clarifying questions. Example: If someone states, “ I love God.” I would ask a follow-up question. Which God? And how do they come to their understanding of him? How did they come to their conclusion that this was true? You have the opportunity to respond to what they tell you.

Most of the time, people will begin to contradict themselves and become arbitrary regarding their beliefs. This is where the objective truth of the one true living God comes into play.  This leads me to my last point for you champions this month. Let their inconsistencies and your questions show them their need for objective truth found in the one true living God. This will give you an opportunity to share the law of God and the grace of Jesus.

c.      Let your questions lead them to their need for an objective truth only found in the God/man-Jesus.

Remember, a conversation is organic, and there are many on-ramps in any given conversation that will take you back to the objective truth of God’s word. Just keep listening and asking questions based on morality, justice, and objective truth. When you do, the on-ramp to the Gospel will become apparent.

Example: I have been listening to you share, and you said everyone needs to follow the goodness inside them. How would our internal goodness determine what is right and wrong? Or, how do you account for morality within your spiritual belief? They will begin to contradict themselves blatantly. Take the time to patiently listen and point them to their need for an objective moral lawgiver and their need for Jesus, who came to fulfill the laws they have broken.

They will eventually see their need to repent and place faith in Christ if God is saving them. Remember, spiritual people love to talk about spiritual things; however, they like to control and determine what is true for them. It is our job as their friends and family members to show them that they don’t call the shots, but God does, and they must submit to Him in faith before they face Him to account for their sins in judgment. Nebuchadnezzar’s life is an example of what power, position, and property can do – it leads man to worship himself instead of God. It is our role to show them the error and give the truth.

Heaven rules! Until next month go proclaim the Gospel because the truth worth proclaiming is the truth that transforms.