Spiritual Reading: What It Means to Compare a Vision to Truth?

There is a saying, “Nothing is as it appears.” How many people are familiar with the expression, although not all understand its full meaning? The saying, among other things, means that nothing we see or hear or feel is necessarily the truth as we see it.

For example, in my native land of Ireland, shorts were nothing more than a twenties fashion statement. The longer you see the shorts, the more likely it will be to reflect an actual material object. The same goes for people. Most people only see a reflection of their immediate inner state. The concentrated practice of spiritual reading extends to the degree of the accuracy of the information. It can, therefore, operate beyond the realm of mere symbolism to the calling of an individual or to society as a whole.

Luke 7:16 And he said unto them, Believe not every spirit, but every spirit is deceitful to every man.

When we perceive that there is an authority outside ourselves, we are influenced in our belief by the amount of control the spirit has over the matters we are dealing with. This principle is illustrated in verse from the book of Revelation in the New Testament, who is the one who fills heaven and earth. It says that he was seated on his throne. It also says that he has authority over all and is the leader of all. Now, here is the key point of all of this. All and any authority which he exercises will reflect the character of the rebel against God. This is very important to our discussion!

Any authority of any kind that is outside God’s will reflects the character of the rebel. This is why; he sits on his throne or, as the first beast of Revelation put it, “his kingdom is for a thousand years.” That is a lot! Well, his kingdom will last for 1,000 years, while the earth will last 1,000 years. So, in summary, if you or I want to experience a long time of peace on earth and abundance of every kind, we must recognize the following characteristics of authority (believer) over our life.

1.Authority will not always seek war but pursue peace. Authority is peace-loving, and its demand is for us to have only peace within us. Authority knows that peace is in the center of our life, and we perceive it outside of us through nature and life.

2. Authority knows the best way to lead a life of peace is not to directly tell the individual his or her personal peace is the way to go but to show the spirit of peace through choices in our life. Authority will strive to eliminate the destructive war, and it will be effective at every level of society.

3. Authority is created with respect to the rights of the individual and never denies the individual his or her individual right to pursue the best life that any individual can have.

4. Authority carries the knowledge that one person may have a legitimate claim on peace, and it cannot be unjustly evicted from protecting that claim. Authority is more likely to pursue peace if possible when pursuing actions in opposition to war, and to pursue peace willing to sacrifice peace to achieve victory.