What is it you think of heaven? Do you long for a place that God’s will is carried out in all aspects of life?  How  often do you think of heaven? 

What you view of heaven has a lot to do with the quality of your spirituality here on earth and on your preparation for going there. 

It’s more than interesting that Jesus, who loves us and died for us, told us to pray:  “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)”  We would never come up with that on our own.  Why?  Because we have never been to heaven.  Jesus, Paul, the Rich Man who went to hell and could see the beggar Lazarus and Abraham there (in Jesus’ story) all see heaven as the place to be.  That rich man wished he had thought of heaven more rather than being consumed with the things of earth (Luke 16:19 ff). 

I admit, I don’t think of heaven in a lot of detail.  It’s hard to imagine heaven from what I’m told in the Scriptures.  I might ponder it a bit when I am praying the Lord’s prayer which I try to pray daily, not as rote words but a real prayer.  During those prayer times my heart does take in that line about His will being done on earth as it is in heaven as a good thing.  I just don’t ponder it too much.  I pray that line in agreement that a place where God’s will is done is a good place and the place I long to be when it is God’s will that I leave this earth, but that’s typically the end to my pondering.  Until I read something in Revelation 13 that made me realize that the simple line in the Lord’s prayer is not just a simple line, but a key to spiritual victory.

Revelation 13:6 says this about the beast who was given authority by satan:  “It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.”  We know that satan was kicked out of heaven, but this verse explains that heaven is satan’s ultimate enemy.  Everything he does to us on earth is an assault on heaven.  The blasphemies are against God, His holy name and His dwelling—heaven, and all who dwell with Him in heaven.  Heaven is a powerful place.  It is the place that satan is fighting against.  He wants to have authority over earth because he is fully against God’s will.

How do we join satan so easily?  Afterall, we live here on earth where only sometimes God’s will is done and most of the time it is not.  We know what it is to suffer from the outcome of the  catastrophes when satan’s will of kill, steal and destroy are carried out around us.  Still our minds remain focused on earth.  Just like the rich man we never consider the hungry beggar outside our gates because we are too busy consumed with how delicious our next meal will taste. 

My best advice is to not miss thinking about heaven while you are on earth.  Don’t make the mistake of the rich man by passing by the beggar without thought as to if it is God’s will for you to not care about that man’s suffering.  Recognize that one of the ways you connect and prepare for heaven is to think of God’s will.  It’s evident that His will is not done on earth as it is in heaven.  You see that by all the horrendous reality of evil in the world.  Look for ways you can see that God’s will is being carried out on earth.  Look for ways that you can carry out God’s will on earth.  There can be a little bit of heaven in your life every day if you think about God and His will being accomplished through your choices.  Don’t miss out on heaven.