Blessings, Friends,
You may have noticed in many of my posts that I stress the importance of drawing near to God and developing an intimate relationship with Him. This is especially important as we enter a season of rapid change in the church and in the world. If we are to know how to handle these changes and what part we are to play in them, we must be connected to the Source of the change.
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3
We can learn about God in church or from other sources, but it is up to us to know Him. And the best place to get to know someone is to go to their house and spend time with them there. Approaching the throne of God is not something taught in most churches. So, while I keep telling you to “press in,” not everyone knows what that looks like.
In this series of posts, I’d like to share with you what the Lord has taught me about entering the Holy of Holies and His presence. God is our only source for everything we need to fulfill our purpose and destiny. Just as Jesus said in the Book of John, apart from Him, we can do nothing.
I’m talking, as Jesus was, about living in the spirit, and if indeed you were buried with Christ, this is exactly how you are meant to be living—not in the natural, but in the supernatural.
First, let me answer some questions this subject seems to bring up. I encourage you to take the following answers to heart and to prayer. Come before the Lord with childlike humility, not wanting to prove or disprove one theory or another, but honestly seeking His truth, willing to receive what the Father brings, and trust in His wisdom. He will not fail you.
Should believers even try to experience Heavenly visitations and the spiritual? Isn’t “spiritual” stuff from the devil?
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth”
John 4:23, 24.
We are created in God’s image and likeness. As God is three-in-one, so are we, spirit, soul (mind or will), and body. Living in the supernatural means letting go of the natural and giving the Holy Spirit free reign in our own spirits, training us up in the ways of God.
Having said that, it is not supernatural experiences we should be seeking, but the person and presence of God Himself.
Won’t I get deceived if I open myself up to the spiritual?
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
John 16:13
If you don’t make an effort to pursue and know the Spirit of Truth, you most certainly will be deceived. Just be sure it is God you are seeking.
Don’t I have to die or wait until Jesus comes back to go to Heaven?
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:4-7
Notice the past tense. God has already made us sit together with His precious Son in Heaven. What remains is for us to occupy our seats by faith. We read of many servants of the Lord experiencing Heaven, including Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul, and John to name a few.
I encourage you to take the following well-known verses and, instead of viewing them figuratively or metaphorically as we have been traditionally taught, view them literally, as written. What do these promises say to you?
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10
“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Not convinced? Try this one:
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’”
Mark 9:23
Why can’t I just get to know God in church?
“These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”
1 John 2:26, 27
While gathering together with other believers is important, its place is clearly defined in Hebrews 10:24, 25. The Body of Christ is strengthened by the saints sharing testimonies and teaching, praying for one another, and worshiping together. But ultimately, the function of the church is to make people hunger for a personal relationship with their Creator.
Church, just like the prayer of Salvation, was never meant to be the end of the Christian’s story, but the beginning. And while many church leaders and prophets may be dynamic speakers and learned people, they are only human, prone to the same evil influences you are. Support them, pray for them, but do not allow them to dictate your faith or personal relationship with your Creator. There is only One who can reveal the true nature of God. There is only One who can reveal the truth of who you were created to be. That One is the Creator himself. No one else.
From the Church Pew to the Throne Room
In my next post I will get into the 7 steps. We’ll be looking at the layout of the Tabernacle and function of the priesthood as the model or road map God created to lead us to His throne room. It’s my hope that this will reveal the mystery of Heavenly encounters and dispel the false belief that the Tabernacle, priesthood, and sacrificial system were abolished when Jesus came.
Until then, God’s grace and peace be yours,
Rebecca
