That pool party, framed against an atomic explosion, underscores a dangerous disconnect between visible reality and invisible forces at work—a paradox that frames a worthy topic to explore today.
The unseen power locked in matter
In the two decades following 1952, the United States detonated 1,032 nuclear weapons on American soil, mostly in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas. Globally, over 2,000 nuclear devices were tested before the 1963 partial test ban treaty. Unprotected exposure to radioactive fallout ultimately led to serious health consequences, including numerous cancers.
However, these tests revealed something humbling: the colossal power locked within matter itself. Consider the equation E=mc². The “c²” represents 299,792,458 miles per second, squared. This conversion factor is staggeringly large.
Here’s what this means practically: a penny weighing 0.08 ounces contains enough stored energy to power all of New York City—8.7 million people and their entire infrastructure. That’s not theoretical. The energy exists right now, locked invisibly inside that small coin. It would require temperatures hotter than the sun’s surface to release it, but the power is undeniably there.
God created all of this. As Hebrews 1 tells us, Jesus Christ sustains all things by His powerful word. When we grasp the magnitude of energy locked in ordinary matter, we begin to understand the colossal power of God Himself—power we cannot see but can know through faith.
(Note: this blog is adapted from a longer message delivered during the 2025 Festival of Tabernacles in Wisconsin. Click here to view the entire presentation, which features expanded examples, including an account of possibly the first manmade object – a 2,000 pound manhole cover – lofted into space, courtesy of a nuclear blast.)
The challenge: Set Your Mind
This brings us to a critical question: How much spiritual power has God locked up that we cannot see?
The answer lies in how we choose to direct our thoughts. Colossians 3:1-2 instructs us: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (English Standard Version).
The Greek word translated “set your mind” (phroneo) means to have a mental inclination or purpose—literally, what one has in mind. This isn’t passive thinking; it’s a deliberate choice. We can set our minds on either Godly things or earthly things. Thoughts lead directly to actions, which makes this choice profoundly important.
We live in times of uncertainty and conflict. Anxiety is easy to justify. Yet this isn’t a new struggle. Consider the story in 2 Kings 6, where Elisha’s young servant wakes to find an enemy army surrounding the city. “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” he cries.
Elisha’s response? “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Then Elisha prayed: “O Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and suddenly he saw “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (ESV).
The servant needed to shift his perspective from what he could see with natural eyes to what was spiritually real. That’s what “setting your mind” means—reorienting ourselves to an unseen spiritual reality.
The choice before us
Romans 8 explores this binary daily choice with clarity. Paul writes: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:5-6, English Standard Version)
But Paul makes a stunning distinction: “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you” (verse 9, ESV)
This is present tense. Right now, those of us who follow Christ have the Spirit of God within us. When we make the deliberate choice to set our minds on things above and meditate on God’s promises, our motivation changes. We experience spiritual excitement and genuine peace, even amid worldly turmoil.
What we cannot yet fully imagine
Here is an extraordinary declaration to consider deeply: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). This speaks to our ultimate destiny and the reason Christ died for us.
When we see the troubles of our world and personal challenges, we can become deeply distracted. But God “calls into being things that were not” (Romans 4:17). The very act of believing this—of trusting God’s word—relieves stress and anxiety.
Paul continues: “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God… Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:10-13, ESV).
The breakthrough? These spiritual realities are revealed to us individually through God’s Spirit – a direct connection with God through Jesus Christ living in us.
Prepare your minds for action
As we understand and apply the meaning of the Holy Days in God marvelous plan, Peter’s instruction in 1 Peter 1:13 is vital: “Prepare your minds for action, and be self-controlled, and set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This is that singular moment when we experience transformation into spirit beings—the entire reason for our calling (John 6:44).
How does that end? What will it feel like when God says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord”?
A light to the world
Before concluding, consider this: In the 1960s and 1970s, through remarkable, high-level service presented without cost, Ambassador College in Pasadena unknowingly facilitated cutting-edge quantum mechanics research. The church’s IBM 360 computer on the AC campus sat unused on the Sabbath and Sunday. Cal Tech researchers, seeking expensive mainframe time, came to have access to this amazing computer resource – free of charge. The result? As one researcher said:
“The staff at Ambassador College ‘had no idea that their computer was basically the center of the universe for doing computations of [quantum] reaction dynamics.’”
A group of spirit-led people practicing God’s way of life made a difference in scientific advancement simply through simple generosity and availability.
The point? In this darkening world, Christ said we are the light of the world. Do the people around you see the fruits of the Spirit in how you conduct yourselves? Do they think, “I want what they have”?
Your choice
As you consider the meaning of God’s annual Holy Days, use them deliberately to advance your spiritual relationship. Ask God to personally reveal His incredible promises coming for you and the world. Meditate on these truths. Ask Him to open your mind and deepen your understanding. This can open personal doors to real power, a power that produces genuine joy and fresh excitement.
Approach God’s throne with confidence. Set your mind deliberately—in concert with Jesus Christ abiding in you through the Holy Spirit—on the things above. Demonstrate God’s way of life to a world in need. Tap into that awesome power that is God’s alone to command.
Make a personal choice today: Set your mind on the things above.
By Michael Snyder (Wonder what’s the focus and purpose of Seeking the Way? Click here)
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