^{“God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6, NIV).}

The first explicit reference to our being positioned in the “heavenly realm” is found in the verse quoted above, from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. However, in John’s Gospel, Jesus Christ Himself also refers to that realm – in all but name – when He urges us to “Abide in Me” and to let His words abide in us (John 15:4-5). Clearly, Jesus is not asking us to abide in His physical body. Rather, He is speaking here of His spiritual body. 

So what does “heavenly realm” mean? Usually, we think of heavenly places as being “up there” – far above planet Earth and the entire cosmos. That is true but it is only partially true, because the “heavenly realm” is actually wherever Christ is – and Christ is absolutely everywhere! … “He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe” (Eph. 4:10, NIV).

[I think it is helpful to note here that the gospel writers refer to the heavenly realm as the Kingdom of Heaven and as the Kingdom of God. In Colossians, it is called “the kingdom realm of his beloved Son.” (Col. 1:13, TPT). In other words, we can also call it the kingdom of the omnipresent Christ.]

In addition, Jesus says that the Kingdom of heaven is within us or among us; and Colossians 1:13 adds that “He has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son.” So we can see that the “heavenly realm” (or realm of the Spirit) is, indeed, everywhere! It is all-pervasive, all-encompassing, and not bound by the limitations of space-time.

We can’t expect all this to make sense to our brain and five senses, because “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). But God has given us the supernatural gift of spiritual insight, as we read here: “We have received …the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12; my italics).

Praying from being seated in the heavenly realm starts with simple faith in the Word of God, actively trusting that Jesus Himself is protecting and guiding us at all times, and praying through us.

We can use Scriptures, such as Revelation Chapters 1, 21 and 22 to activate our God-given imagination, basing our intent and activity firmly on the Word of God. We can listen quietly in the Father’s Presence then start to pray and to declare scriptural truth over ourselves and others, and over different situations and parts of the world. There is no “prescribed” form, though. Our aim is to trust that we will be led by the Spirit according to the Father’s will for our prayers.

Praying and imagining in this way can sometimes feel dry and rather mechanical, especially in the early days. Let’s not be dismayed or tempted to stop, though. The more we use our muscle of faith and practice this way of praying, the more it grows and flows in a beautiful way. As co-workers with God in ushering in His Kingdom on Earth, we believe that He is using and empowering our prayers in ways that exceed our imagination! Persistence is the key. We walk and pray by faith and not by sight.

Underlying it all, we rest in the truth that we are His beloved – unfathomably and infinitely loved – and we lean on Him (Song of Solomon 8:5) – all the way. He never fails us and never lets go of our hand!

All praise be to our wondrous God!

By Ann Shakespeare 28 May 2023