As was with the disciples and the early church, hardships and enduring rejection are a prerequisite for us to enter the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom could be accessed within us. It is to do with a state of being, that is living in Christ Jesus. On their own, our natural faculties, cannot take us there. It is accessible only through a surrendering of our natural state and allowing our spirit to dwell in the Spirit of Christ. There is a gigantic leap into something new and unknown when suffering pervades. When living with our natural abilities, suffering and rejection become detestable and unwelcome. Living in the Spirit however, and holding on in faith, our spirit alone experiences the heavens opened and the love of God being poured out into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Rom5/5). Heaven invades our lives and suffering becomes redemptive. Hardships and rejection become spring boards to enter the realm of God through the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Abba Father, may our souls benefit living within your Spirit, allowing us to be your friends, now and forever. Amen