Many things in the spiritual life come in matched pairs, or mis-matched pairs if you count the ones that are on opposite sides like the new you and the old you, or the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Sometimes it can make your eyes cross and your head swim, but we’ve laid them out in a way that should help you steer clear of confusion.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV
There Are Two Sides to Everything
Just as there is good and evil, heaven and hell, angels and demons, there is an inner life and an outer life, an invisible realm and a material realm, a life in time and a life in eternity. This can get very confusing! No wonder that many people throughout history have played favorites, choosing to favor one way of looking at life while ruling other ways out.
Some think the inner life of the soul is better than the outer life of the body (aesthetes) and vice versa (hedonists). Some live only for this world (the godless); others live only for the next (the hyper-religious). Some live only for today; others plan for tomorrow. Some love justice; others love mercy. Some prefer to live for Satan; others for the Lord. That’s a lot of conflicting opinions.
God said that everything He created was good. Living under His leadership, we don’t get to take sides: We have to learn how to live as a people fully immersed in two worlds. Walking with Jesus on earth, we are seated with Him in the heavenlies. Attending to the needs of our bodies, we never lose sight of the Spirit. Living with our King today, we also pray and press into His kingdom that is coming.
Why Double Vision Is Necessary
Never in any of this are we meant to take sides with the enemy. Whether it is our flesh, the fallen world, or the evil ones, we must hold the line. Part of our learning to see double is due to the way that we have to choose between opposites everywhere we turn. Anything in all creation can be used for good or for evil, for advancing life or death, blessing or cursing. Take heart: Jesus is with us in every moment to help us with every decision.
Another reason for learning to see double is mystery. God is a vast mystery; the realms He created lie beyond our ability to fathom. Truth, it seems, must come in matched pairs in order to teach us how to walk a fine line through mystery while remaining in balance: predestination and free will; grace and accountability; the fear of God and the love of God—these are not easily reconciled. Yet, in Jesus love and truth, mercy and justice, flesh and spirit, time and eternity, God and man are not only reconciled, they are fused into One. It gets even better: He is in us and we are in Him.
How’s that for seeing double? Good thing we have two eyes! Or rather, two sets of eyes, both natural and spiritual. Oh, oh, there we go again. Why not practice your focus with these matched pairs? Explore the section on Learning to See Double at our website for living the new life of grace: www.forerunners4him.org.
About the Author: Steve Evans
For over a decade Steve Evans and Healing Streams have been helping people recover inner peace and freedom. Through Forerunners4Him he has been showing how we can be saved for heaven and teaching the way to live a Spirit filled life on earth. Go now to receive a completely free primer, Getting to Heaven and/or an introduction to Living in the Spirit at forerunners4him.org. 
