Most of us go through our day-to-day lives not giving much thought to the spiritual influence in our lives. We tend to just go along with daily events and not think of taking authority over what is disrupting our day. We may think we just are having a bad day or so-and-so was in a bad mood. While these things are true, a lot of them are affected by spiritual influences. We can affect our atmosphere by what we choose to think upon or say. You have probably walked into a room after the ones in the room had an argument. You could sense the heaviness without them saying a word about their disagreement.

During the time of our son’s illness, I was shown and experienced the effects of yielding to His Spirit and the effects of when I yielded to the enemy. The difference in the atmosphere in our son’s hospital room was evident when I came into agreement with the enemy and began to grumble and complain. I learned real quick that I could not afford to allow my emotions to agree with the lies of the enemy! Even though there was truth to what the enemy was saying and in the natural I had every right to get bitter, I had to release the situation to the Father. It was a lesson in dying to self. I could not afford to yield to my feelings or my “rights” if I wanted the atmosphere of heaven, the atmosphere of healing in his room.

I’m sharing these things so you will understand, as I came to understand and am still learning, the reality of how darkness in our attitudes, moods and words that are spoken affect the atmosphere around us. They attract light or darkness to us and those around us. They hinder our going deeper in the spirit to work in coordination with heaven.

It was during a time when I was frustrated and grumbling that I heard Him say, “You must not allow the external (world) to become internal. But instead, you must allow the internal (spirit) to become external.” The inner force of His love, light and power to change our outer world is within us. We must understand that as a news commentator says. “I’m Walter and this is my world.” We must say “I’m God’s agent and this is my world.” We have Holy Spirit influence in us to change our outer world. We must become conscious of what we are releasing.

We must guard our hearts and create a place to be a holy womb for His Spirit to possess. Even in Charismatic circles, we tend to think we only need to guard our actions, words and flow in the spiritual gifts….these are what is important. We can confess and preach the Word, but if we have envy, jealousy, rage or bitterness in our hearts, our spiritual power is diluted. We are coming into a time that our spiritual power cannot be diluted!

It truly is a time of “coming up” as spoken of in Revelation 4:1, to learn what He desires to show us. But this “coming up” is more than that. It is a coming higher to walk in holiness of mind, imaginations, thoughts and beliefs. It is a time to come up out of fear, self-pity and negative speech. So it is not just word and deed, but also, it is what we allow to rule in our heart. It’s being aware of our moods and attitudes that are affecting our spiritual atmosphere…that weaken us spiritually and can also affect us physically. Proverbs 4:23 “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

Realize it is in the times when you are tempted to get an attitude, to think evil of another, that God is wanting to use you to bring heaven into the situation. I remember Kenneth Copeland told of a story of him seeing a swarm of flies in the area where he had a freezer of meat. The freezer that had gone bad along with the food in it. The rotten meat released the smell of death and attracted the flies, even though the lid was closed. We are instruments of attracting heaven’s fragrance or hell’s stench. We are partnering with light or with darkness.

So I ask myself and I invite you to ask yourself, “What have I been releasing this week?” If we sow into heaven, we receive heavenly rewards. We are constantly attracting one of two kingdoms. Our spiritual weapons against darkness are prayer, worship, thanksgiving and the Word of God. These keep us wrapped in a protective garment of light….the Kingdom of Light.