Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3).

All believers should know that there is such a thing as a “spiritual blessing” as opposed to a physical blessing. As for physical blessings, we know what they are so well that we all seek them as we live here on earth. But we should not forget that God is spirit, and when he blesses us he does it first by giving us spiritual blessings. God who is spirit blesses us with what he has, and what he has is always spiritual.

In chapter 4 of Ephesians, we find the following scripture. It explains how such blessings, once stolen from us, were recovered and given back to us through Jesus Christ.

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men (4:7-8)."

The place to which “he ascended” was the highest throne in heaven—the right hand of the Father, and the “captives” were Satan and the angles who had followed him. And the “gifts” were the spiritual gifts that had been stolen by Satan. But Christ took them from him, and gave them back to us. So, these gifts and blessings are now given to us who are the heirs of God today according to God’ will and plan as we have seen in Eph 1:3-4. Paul goes on to say:

What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe (vv. 9-10).

Concerning such defeat of Satan, he also says in Colossians:

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col 2:15).

Note the expression, “having disarmed the powers and authorities.” This was what happened in the heavenly realms when Jesus died and was raised from the dead. Christ returned with glory and victory leading all captives in his train, and putting them to shame publicly in front of all angels in heaven. The plunder that Christ took by “having disarmed powers and authorities” has been given back to us who are heirs of God.

We have an interesting true story that metaphorically illustrates this truth—the spiritual reality that came to be realized through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For some time during the period in which David was running away from king Saul, he and his six hundred men went to the land of the Philistines, and stayed with Achish king of Gath. David and his men were given the city of Ziklag, where they lived with their wives and children. One day they returned to Ziklag, and found that the Amalekites had raided the city: all wives and children were carried away, and the city was destroyed by fire. David and his men wept loud until they had no strength left to weep.

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God (1 Sam 30:6).

He and his men went to pursue the Amalekites who had taken their wives and children. God had given David victory, and he recovered everything the Amalekites had taken including all women and children. But what is so interesting is the way he gave the plunder even to those who did not go out to fight. It was exactly in this way that Jesus gave spiritual blessings to us.