Our definition of success and Heaven’s definition of success are two very different things.  Too much of the world’s mindset has made its way into Christian thinking and we have adopted it as our own without even realizing it.  How do we judge success?

From a business perspective, success is usually the amount of money being made.  It also would have to do with the number of sales, contacts, how far reaching our influence is etc.  It’s about how wealthy we are, who we know and what we do.  It’s about us.  This same concept applies in other areas of our lives and largely focuses on how much we seem to be accomplishing and what other people think of us.  Sadly, there is far too much of this in ministry as well.

But from Heaven’s perspective we usually have it upside down.  It’s not about the ‘secret of the successful life’.  It’s about the ‘success of the secret life’.  The life that is hidden in God, where our goal is to make His name famous instead of our own, carries far more weight in Heaven.  It’s a life where He is seen and we are not … where much of what we do is behind the scenes, to advance His Kingdom instead of our own.

Many of you will have read Rick Joyner’s book The Final Quest years ago.  Since that time he has completed that trilogy and started another.  (See my Recommended Reading list)  But if you haven’t read that book for a long time, I’d highly recommend reading it again.  It’s one of those things that only gets better and more relevant as time goes by.  Here are some quotes from that book regarding success from people who lived their lives on this earth then died and went to Heaven.  Here is the truth they found there:

“What looks good on earth looks very different here.  What will make you a king on earth will often be a stumbling block to keep you from being a king here.  What will make you a king here is lowly and not esteemed on earth.”

“The more influence that you gain by your own self promotion, the more striving you must do to keep your influence, and the more dark and cruel your life will become.  Anything you do because of political pressures or opportunities, will only lead you to the end of your true ministry.  If you do not live what you preach to others you disqualify yourself from the high calling of God.  Love the Savior and seek His glory alone.  Everything that you do to exalt yourself will one day bring you the most terrible humiliation.  Everything that you do out of true love for the Savior, to glorify His name, will extend the limits of His eternal Kingdom and ultimately result in a much higher place for yourself.”

Doesn’t God use people to build His Kingdom?  Yes, of course.  We get to help.  God is not afraid of heroes.  He builds them Himself.  But up to this point in time, too many of those who are called to large public ministries have fallen prey to the power, the prestige and the occasional wealth that may bring.  This has largely been due to spiritual immaturity.  However, there is a new breed arising on the scene now.  They cut across all levels of society.  Age and gender are not an issue.  These have been tried in the fire and are coming forth as gold.  They are like David, with the courage of a lion and a heart of intimacy with the Lord.  They care neither for the criticism or the praise of men but seek only the approval of the King.  They stand for His truth, even under threat of death. ( Rev.12:11) T hese are going forth to build His Kingdom, an unshakable Kingdom that will never be stopped.  Will you be one of them?

There may seem to be a conflict between the hidden life and a truly successful (from His perspective) ministry in building His Kingdom.  But they are really 2 sides of the same coin.  Fruitfulness flows out of a deep intimate relationship with Him.  We will discuss this aspect further as it relates to success in the next posting.

True success in this life depends largely on how much of Christ is formed within us.  This is what the Father is looking for.  (Rom.8:29, 2 Cor.3:18, Gal.4:19, Rom.12:2 )  Everything that we ‘do’ here will only be an outflow of that foundational relationship.  Christ in us. ( Gal.2:20, Col.1:27)

I don’t usually re-post other things on this blog but this newsletter from Rolland and Heidi Baker in Mozambique addresses some vital issues. They mentored me in intimacy with the Lord for several years, especially during our time in Africa with them. I realize this is lengthy but if you read it to the end you will find some stunningly simple answers to many difficult questions.

From Rolland and Heidi Baker, Iris Global, Pemba, Mozambique
16 June, 2014

“Our years in Pemba, Mozambique have been tumultuous, intense, filled with demonic attacks, violence, threats, opposition from the government, discouragement, theft, loss, disappointments, failures, staff turnover, and the constant, unrelenting demands of extreme poverty and disease all around us. It almost always seemed that our capabilities and resources were no match for the challenges we faced every day, resulting in a level of chaos and stress that literally threatened our health and lives. Intense witchcraft and a lack of exposure to familiar standards of right and wrong made our work in this very remote part of the world seem all the more impossible. Heidi and I remember many times when we did not know how we could continue, often wondering if we really had good, lasting fruit that was worth the sacrifice.

We are often asked what the overcoming key to our ministry and growth is. We don’t think in terms of keys or secrets, but of the simplest truths of the gospel. We have learned by experience that there is no way forward when pressed to our extremities but to sacrifice ourselves at every turn for His sake, knowing nothing but Jesus and Him crucified. We must die to live. It is better to give than to receive, and better to love than to be loved. We cannot lose, because we have a perfect Savior who is able to finish what He began in us, if we do not give up and throw away our faith.

In years past we did not think we could identify with Paul like this, but now we understand more of what he meant: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:8–9).

Heidi and I get overwhelmed by our awareness that we are only jars of clay, very fragile and finite, capable of only giving out so much, and with very limited understanding and strength. But we have come to be encouraged by this very state of affairs, because God’s power and glory will become obvious in our weakness: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor. 4:7–10).

In Pemba we just started another three-month Bible school session with new student pastors from the bush, many of whom are barely aware of any Christian doctrine and still confused about so much. But three of them have already raised the dead and given their testimonies in class! The Holy Spirit is opening hearts and bringing in the harvest more than ever, in spite of our weaknesses. Our churches are monuments to the grace of God. We are asked how we keep them all together, organized and feeling like a unified family, but we can offer no adequate human explanation, in spite of all our efforts. We have learned that He is able to melt hearts and keep people connected in spirit by His own power, and build a hunger for the Savior that conquers every obstacle. This is His revival, His church, His display of glory, and He qualifies us to do His work.

What motivates us to keep going? What puts energy into our spirits when we run out of answers and resources? How do we stay patient and upbeat when the outlook seems bleak, yet again? Where does our power to live, serve and give come from? The question is important, because missionaries do get tired, discouraged and down. Christians of all kinds run out of motivation, no matter how much they have. Leaders with huge responsibilities lose their peace and joy. Ministries become more like businesses, and preachers more like sales managers. But what makes the Kingdom run? What is the fuel that fires us effortlessly? What is the real thing?

Every day we find out more of the answers to these most fundamental questions, and every day we learn that what used to motivate us is no longer enough. We are going higher, pressing on to what lies ahead. We keep learning what Jesus is interested in, and lose interest in what we used to pursue. And we learn that unless Jesus is interested in what we are pursuing, the going gets tougher than we can bear.

But there is a secret place, a hiding place, a lower place, a holy place that exceeds our dreams. It is not found in anything external and impersonal. It is not found simply in activity, sacrifice and dedication. It is not found in goals, projects, productions and progress. It is not found in finances and growth. It may be missed entirely even when preaching, teaching, training and discipling. It may be forgotten completely when evangelizing and praying for the sick. The greatest and most powerful gifts don’t necessarily contain it. Even ministry to the poor may become an impersonal effort that misses that greatest and most intensely motivating creation of God, that supreme display of His glory: relationship!

Love is a gift of relationship, not just self-sacrifice. The secret place is not necessarily found in a prayer closet or a posture of soaking, or in battling for a just cause, or in a massive prayer and fasting effort. Even the most amazing miracles can leave us lonely and without relationship. We can run out of motivation advancing the most noble ideals and working at all levels to transform society. We can minister until we have no more strength, and still go home and lie in bed without the relationship for which our hearts are made.

Everything is okay with relationship. It is all that Jesus cares about, all that motivates Him. He could do many more amazing miracles and dazzle the world with His powers, but He is interested only in relationship. The entire creation, all the grandeur of the physical world, and all His works are designed to serve one thing: relationship. Revival has no content without it. Renewal and manifestations are pointless apart from it. Miracles only find their meaning in it. Joy is shallow and groundless unless rooted in it. Without relationship we are the living dead.

There is no pressure in genuine relationship. When it turns into work, it is gone and finished. It is effortless to maintain. It is not the goal of struggle, but the fire of life. It brings the utmost peace, and washes away all tension. It is the point of living, the substance of existence, the atmosphere of heaven. It motivates to heroic heights, bringing out our best. In relationship we know we are alive, we have arrived, we are satisfied. When we turn away from relationship to pursue anything else, we lose. We have no strength to give and love without it. It is a haven, a rock, a river of living water, the perfect source of motivation to keep going.

As our Perfect Savior, Jesus provides us with relationship. For this He died and rose again on our behalf. He provides not only His Word, His promises and His gifts, but also freely fills our lives with relationship in response to the desire He has put in our hearts. No guilt and condemnation can keep us from drinking in all the relationship with Him that we desire. Nothing in our past can block us. No attitudes in others can prevent us from tasting and seeing that He is good. And from this tree of life that is our Savior, we can branch out into more and more relationship with those all around us. He takes away our loneliness. In Him we end our search and find our destination.

So in this experience of revival in Africa, our values have been refined in the fires of pressure, opposition and disappointment. Thousands of churches and testimonies of supernatural power do not keep us motivated. Huge feeding projects are not enough for us. We need more of a goal than to target people groups and disciple followers. Education and development don’t keep our hearts alive. Mobilizing world-wide support still falls short. Academic missiology lacks the energy that Africa needs.

No, our hearts must have perfect relationship, a perfect union between us and our Savior, in the Holy Spirit. We were never meant to be alone for a moment. Our whole motive is to live life and do everything together with our God, to take pleasure in His company always. Our power to live comes entirely from our satisfying relationship with Him, and to stay there is to stay in our own private revival that cannot be disturbed by anything else. Only when that relationship is golden, incandescent and pure enough do we have the power to delight in all that God has richly provided for us to enjoy.

Therefore in Him we do not pursue revival, but rather revival pursues us! Church growth and miracles pursue us. His presence pursues us. He Himself follows us, responds to us, and takes pleasure in making us happy, for we make Him happy. We care how He feels. We satisfy His longing. To stay close to Him is no effort, but a relief, a release, a door to freedom.
To get a miracle is never the point, but in our relationship with Him miracles are a delight for Him to perform on our behalf. In fact, we cannot live without miracles, and in the normal Christian life we recognize that everything is a miracle, “for in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Love in Jesus, Rolland and Heidi”

At the beginning of this new year there is nothing more important than to draw closer to the Lord, to draw away and spend time simply being quiet and alone with Him.  We must quiet our spirits enough to realize His presence with us.  He IS with us.  He promised to be and He is, but we need to be made more aware of Him in the midst of all the noise of life here in this realm.  This requires discipline on our part as well as help from Him.

In this post I want to help us do that by re-emphasizing things that have helped me draw closer to Him.  Instead of writing the same things again, there are some past posts from this blog which were written for this reason.  In fact, I’m reading them again myself! Here are a few:

Face to Face – Jan. 20, 2012
Falling in love with Jesus – Feb.11, 2012
Satisfied, yet longing still – March 26,2012
Learning to quiet your spirit – Dec. 3 and 17, 2012

There are also people whose writings have shown me that there is so much more, a life in God I never dreamed of.  They are listed on my page of recommended reading.  Among these are Rick Joyner.  His book, The Final Quest opened the realm of visions and prophetic experiences for many of us and drew us into a much more intimate relationship with the Lord. Now he has written a new book called The Path.  It is written in the same style as The Final Quest and is taken from his experiences in Heavenly realms with the Lord, with angels and many of the saints in Heaven.  The revelation contained in this book is acutely important for understanding the times we are living in now.  I want to take this opportunity to highly recommend this book to you.  The link below will enable you to read the first chapter at no cost and/or to purchase the book or the e-book from Rick’s website. This is not a book to speed read but to read slowly, a little at a time, and meditate on.  The Lord will give you new revelation and understanding of Him as you read.

http://www.morningstarministries.org/store/books/rick-joyner/path-0#.UshRUvuiIcY

Drawing aside with Jesus now is more than just a good idea.  It’s crucial for the times we are in and our ability to not only stand, but be the over-comers He has called us to be.  May His voice call you into the secret place with Him and may His love overcome all the distractions in your life so that you have eyes for Him alone.

If there are things we can do to help us enter into God’s realm, we need to also be aware of things that can keep us from ascending.  After spending the last few months dealing with on-ramps into Heavenly realms, I thought it necessary to comment on specific things that can block our progress in each of the areas we have looked at.  As a review, here are the on-ramps we have discussed.

#1 Quieting your spirit
#2 Re-entering you past dreams and visions
#3 Other people’s dreams and visions
#4 Going into the Word
#5 A Godly imagination
#6 Geographical locations

God has extended an invitation to us through the open door of Rev. 4:1 to “Come up here”.  He also tells us in Eph. 2:6 that we are seated with Him in Heavenly places.  One of the most basic ways to access this reality is in learning to quiet ourselves, to listen for His voice, to be at peace.  We discussed this at length in the postings from Dec. 3,’12, Dec. 17,’12 and also at the end of Dec. 31,’12.

If having a disciplined and quiet spirit is helpful in ascending into Heavenly realms with the Lord, then the opposite can actually prevent us from getting there.   Although this seems obvious, it’s helpful to stop at times and take inventory.  Most of us lead very busy lives.  But how much of that busyness is actually necessary?  Are we involved in things that will really count for eternity and bear fruit for His Kingdom? Are we spending quality time with the One we love?  The spirit of this age is designed to keep us away from Him and even to trick us into being involved in busy work that is masked as ministry, especially in many churches.  We can be running in circles always doing things, going to meetings, running programs, until any meaningful time with Him is edited out of the picture.  It’s like eating less and less until finally we become sick and wonder why.

In very busy times of ministry and travelling I have had to rely on “in-flight refueling”… trying to spend time with the Lord on an overnight flight or finding a quiet place in an airport waiting lounge.  This is at best like grabbing a snack here and there instead of a full meal.  When I arrive at the place of ministry I’m always careful to explain that I need some time alone with the Lord.  If I have no time with Him I’ll have nothing to give anyone else.  Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t since plans have already been made for me.  Even in meetings where God is moving mightily and His Presence is tangible I find this is not a substitute for private time with Him alone.  A corporate anointing is awesome and necessary but we can be swept along in that without ever being encountered personally.  I simply must be with the One I love.  And when I return home from that busy time I often find it so difficult to get back into spending that quiet time with Him that I have to start over as I did in the beginning by disciplining myself to just sit quietly and “be” with Him until He reprograms me back into intimacy once again. This is what I was created for and where my heart truly longs to be.

For many people, their time is not their own.  They are responsible to families, employers and others who have need of them.  Mothers with small children, caregivers and those with demanding jobs are in this category.  Of course God understands this. This time in your life is temporary.  Children grow up and jobs change.  In some cases God may have a way out of a demanding job into something better for you.  But even where you are now, if you stop and listen you will hear His voice calling you to quiet yourself and come to Him.  He is not just another demand on your list.  He’s in love with you and your heart longs for Him as well.  Ask Him to create a space of time for you just to be with Him.  I’ve seen Him do that.  Then be very sensitive when that time appears out of nowhere.  Remember that it’s for Him.  Spend it with Him and you will be rewarded by His Presence and His peace.

Remember as always that this is a relationship, not a duty or a formula. We do not simply check Him off the list of things to do.  This is a love affair!

If  learning to quiet ourselves and spend time with Him is an on-ramp into Heavenly realms (and it is) then being too busy for Him, physically, mentally or emotionally is definitely something that can block us from getting there.  He can help us fix this if we let Him.

Continuing from last week’s post, we are learning how to quiet ourselves and really enter into the presence of God.

In our busyness we miss many important things.  But how do we learn to quiet ourselves?  I do not wish to imply that this is a simple matter and those who don’t know how are somehow inferior.  On the contrary, even people who are fairly quiet to begin with find it challenging to still their thoughts and focus only on the Lord.  There are many reasons for this.  The biggest reason is because we have an enemy who tries to block our communication with God.  Since his time is shorter now, he has stepped up his attack.  You’ve probably noticed this in the last several months.  But the good news is that God, who is in us, is greater than the enemy who opposes us. ( 1 John 4:4 )

Let’s look at some practical things that may also help.

One of the first things we should do when our thoughts are disquieted is to go through a short mental checklist.  What have we been watching on t.v. or the internet?  What have we been reading?  What have we been listening to, even in our choice of music?  Sometimes we are subjected to these things not by our own choosing.  However, they have negative effects regardless of how they entered.  If there are things we need to repent of, that’s the first step.  Repentence means being sorry enough to turn away from wrong and ask for the Lord’s help to keep us from repeating our sin.  In this way we close the doors that have been opened to the enemy and we deny him access.

Our spiritual garments can become stained just because we live and walk in this world.  Make it a practice daily to ask for cleansing from all that would come between you and the One you love.

Sometimes it’s a simple matter of displacement.  If there is more of the world and its thoughts and ways in us than there is of God’s thoughts and ways, we will find ourselves in a dangerous position.  We are in this world to change it, not to become like it.  The solution is in God’s Word.  Simply reading it on a regular basis will begin to change how you think and feel.   Ask Him to show you how He feels about things and to align your thoughts with His.

Spending time with Jesus, really with Him, is the goal.  More often than not, this will require much discipline of our mind, will and emotions.  But this is not a religious exercise.  It’s a desperate need to be with the One we love.  When we try to sit quietly and focus on the Lord we will usually have to keep throwing out the parade of other things that comes trickling or flooding into our thoughts.  Those thoughts may range from what we should be doing instead of sitting there, to the trouble we are in at the moment, to random things we haven’t thought of in years.  We have to take authority over it all and command our thoughts to be silent and centered on the Lord.   And we have to keep on doing it till we are finally quieted as David said in Psalm 131:2.  “Surely I have behaved [adjusted, yielded] and quieted [silenced] myself as a child that is weaned of his mother.” (KJV with Hebrew meanings in brackets)

Is this really possible?  Can we really reach a place where we can tune out or escape all the things that bombard us?  There is a secret place in the Spirit realm where it is so quiet that every other voice is stilled.   And in that place you can also hear the Lord’s voice.  The distractions of the world are far away.  When we are seated with Christ in the Heavens (Eph.2:6), wrapped in His loving embrace,  we are above the reach of the enemy.  Our perspective changes and we see things from above.  He prepares us to bring Heaven to earth, to see His Kingdom come and His will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven. (Mt. 6:10)

The purpose of this blog is two-fold.  It is to help restore the Bride of Christ to intimacy with Him and to teach her to fly.  After laying a foundation of intimacy with the Lord for several months we have also spent time on the fact that we are created to be creatures of both the natural and the spiritual realms.  We are meant to ascend into Heavenly realms.  The next few posts will deal with some ways to actually do that – how to get there.  After that we will talk much more about Heavenly realms

Keep in mind that this is a relationship, not a formula.  Still, there are some things I have found helpful on the journey that I’d like to share with you.  The first, and one of the most important is:

Learning to quiet your spirit

Have you ever felt like you were standing in an electronics shop where there were 15 televisions all turned on and set to different channels?  You are being asaulted with a barage of visual and sensory information constantly that you didn’t ask for and usually don’t even want.  This makes it very difficult to hear the still, small voice of the Lord.

Oh certainly, God can make Himself heard with thunder in His voice when He chooses to.  But most of the time He chooses not to because He wants such a close relationship with us that we can hear and respond when He whispers.  That requires our head quietly resting on His shoulder.  It is crucial that we spend quality time alone with Him daily.  This is beyond our times of intercession, Bible reading and devotion.  This is intimacy with the Lord.

When I first began doing this it was out of sheer desperation for Him.  Jesus was drawing me and I was falling more in love with Him.  But I was nervous and fidgety, always needing to be doing something.  Sitting quietly was not on my list of favorites.  Still, I longed for Him so much that I was willing to try.  I would wait till I was alone and the house was quiet.  Sometimes I put on quiet worship music but sometimes even that distracted me and I found myself singing along instead of focusing on Him.  Eventually I found that worship music with no words, with an unfamiliar melody, worked best for me.  I could not hum the tune or sing the words. This left my mind more free to ascend with Him and eventually let Him turn the music into a sound track for the vision He was giving me.  Amazing!

In those waiting times I would have my Bible and journal close by.  But this was not a time for reading or writing or even praying.  He specifically told me to put the prayer list away during those times.  It was His time. Time to really be with Him.  To come into His presence and sit with my head on His chest.  Sometimes we talked and sometimes we didn’t.  Love is like that.

Many times it was so difficult to really get there.  I’d keep pushing out all the other thoughts and they would keep barging back in.  If thoughts came about things I needed to remember, I’d quickly write them down and put them aside to think about later.  Sometimes I’d sit there for an hour and never even really feel His presence.  Sometimes I’d get frustrated and just get up and try again later.  Usually my initial prayer was “Jesus, I’m here and I just want to be with You. Please help me focus on You.  Help me to feel You, see You, hear You.”   When I began to feel His presence it was worth it all and I could just stay there with Him and lose track of time.

Eventually, over the months, I began to realize that the time it took to quiet myself and really feel His presence was becoming shorter.  It decreased from an hour, to half an hour, to a matter of minutes.  I began to pray “Lord, make me so aware of Your presence with me all the time.”   Finally, at any point during the day, I could close my eyes and immediately sense and know His presence all around me and sometimes even see His face.  He wants this to be normal for us!

I also found that staying in that place required the same discipline.  If my schedule became cluttered, even with good things, and the routine was broken I had to apologize for neglecting Him and begin the same discipline once again. This is a romance.  He desires to be with us more than we long to be with Him.

Yes, there are times we experience great spiritual warfare, when it becomes more and more difficult to actually feel His presence.  But even in those times when we seem to be required to walk in the dark, He is there watching our trust in Him grow stronger.  Even the angels are in awe when we persevere.  They dwell in the midst of such glory that worship is a natural response.  But when we who live in such darkness, keep worshipping and trying when we cannot see or even feel Him, it brings tears to their eyes and makes them even more glad to be sent here as ministering spirits to help us. (Heb. 1:14)

We will continue this theme in the next post.  But for now, let me pray for you.

Jesus, I pray for everyone reading these words.  I ask you to bring peace to their troubled souls.  I take authority over scattered thoughts, confusion and lack of focus and I declare that Your peace pours over them and into them now like oil.  I decree quietness over them and in the quietness they will hear your voice.  In Jesus name, Amen.

We are spiritual beings dwelling in earthly bodies.  We are not meant to be bound by the limitations of this realm.  We were created for freedom.  We were created to co-exist in both realms going back and forth at will.  Our feet walk in this earthly realm but we are also seated with Jesus in Heavenly realms. (Eph. 2:6)

How is this possible?  To the natural mind, it isn’t.  If all we believe is what we can see and hear and touch in the natural we will be completely limited to that.  The truth of the Word of God must be our basic foundation.  He even tells us that He framed the worlds by things we cannot see. (Heb. 11:3)  The Apostle Paul wrote that the things which are seen are temporal (temporary) but the things not seen are eternal. ( 2 Cor. 4:18)  He also said that we have been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).   This explains how we have the ability to believe the truth of God and His realm rather than just what our natural senses can detect … if we choose to do so.

These are days when the enemy not only whispers subtle lies continually but uses whoever he can to openly dispute and tear down the truth of God’s Word.  Satan’s words are poison.  Some are seeds of doubt that will germinate and strangle our faith. Some are blatant, bold faced lies that attack the very fibre of our relationship with God.  The antidote is the truth of God’s Word and believing it is crucial.  If you have been bombarded by this recently, you must run into the arms of the Lord that are open and waiting for you.  See His eyes of love and remember that He cannot and will not lie. In the secret place of intimacy with Him is your safety.

We are born into the Father’s family.  His house is our house.  We don’t live in a separate part of the house.  His table is our table.  We sit beside Him at the table.  We are like children with access to everything He has.  And He encourages us to eat the good things He feeds us and then to rest and sleep curled up in His arms with our head on His chest.  That’s how much He loves us.  That’s how He has elevated us even though we are completely unworthy. It’s not about us.  It’s about what He has done.  And He is insulted and hurt if we don’t receive His love, just as any father would be.

I invite you to listen to a prophetic song by Laura Rhinehart which shows this so clearly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wF5284YcMM

Come into the Father’s house and be changed by His love.

Have you ever become frustrated in your quest for intimacy with the Lord?  Of course He is here with us all the time.  He said He would never leave us and so He never does.  But there are times of drawing closer to Him, of seeking His face, of forsaking all other things to just spend time alone with Him. Sometimes when we try to do that we are immediately bombarded with the thought bombs of the enemy.  Every distraction crowds into our brains until it’s a continual fight to keep pushing them out and focus on Him alone.  Of course it’s a fight. But it’s one we must win to break through into the life He has for us.  Remember that He IS the reward.  Knowing Him, drawing closer to Him, spending time with Him is not only the goal but also the reward.

Let me share something that happened to me during one of those times. I had become weary of seeking and felt I was getting nowhere.  Then finally I began to be aware of both realms at the same time.  I was sitting in a chair in the living room but now I could also see myself walking in a forest. ( Have you ever had an experience like this and wondered if it was really God or just your imagination?   And have people told you it was crazy?  Don’t believe them.  This is supposed to be a natural lifestyle for a child of God.  We were created with this ability.)

Swiftly now the spiritual began to overtake the natural and the vision became uppermost in my spirit eyes.  Sunlight streamed through the trees of the forest down to the mossy floor.  Birds were singing and a soft wind was blowing through the leaves.  Suddenly I was aware of someone else up ahead darting in and out among the trees.  Startled, I just caught a glimpse of a man looking back over his shoulder.  Making eye contact for a split second assured me it was the Lord.  He seemed to be hiding from me!  I could barely see Him as He ran between the trees and the thick foliage.  But I knew it was Him and He was calling me to follow Him, to chase Him.  Now my heart led the way as I ran after Him and He led me deeper into the forest.  At one point all I could see was His arm coming out from behind a tree and His hand beckoning me to come.  Still I followed, determined to go wherever He was leading and not lose sight of Him.

Finally He waited for me to catch up to Him.  He took my hand and ran with me out into a meadow where we danced together in the sunlight.  Then a troupe of angels appeared and danced with us.  In the midst of all of this, Jesus looked into my eyes and spoke tenderly to me.

“This is what is really happening, My love.  I’ve been playing hide and seek with you.  I’m drawing you and calling you into places you otherwise wouldn’t go.  And I’m pleased with your determination and persistence to follow Me even when you can barely see. Your love has captured My heart.”  (Job 23:9, Song of Solomon 1:4, 2:10, 4:9 )

Basic lesson – don’t give up.  Keep trying.  The reward is so far beyond your imagination.  The reward is Him.

What was it like for Moses to actually climb up that quaking, thundering mountain and walk right into the fire of God?  Remember again the smoking, fiery moutain in the wilderness.  When the earthquake came and the voice of God thundered, the people were terrified and ran away.  (See previous post, July 30)  But Moses “drew near unto the thick darkess  where God was.” (Ex. 20:21)  This darkness that sometimes seems to surround God is actually the “dense oil of the spirit – incomprehensible to man and therefore seemingly dark”. (see footnote)

Even though the rest of the people ran away in terror, Moses wanted God so desperately that he was willing to answer His invitation to come up into the fire.  My guess is that the higher he climbed and the closer he came, the more the fire turned to glory and the thicker the presence of God became until he was enveloped by God Himself.

In later expereinces he actually talked with God “face to face as a man speaks to his friend”. (Ex.33:11)  I’ve heard many preachers quote the other verse … you know, the one where God said, “You cannot see my face; for there shall no man see me and live.” (Ex. 33:20)   I puzzled about that verse for a long time.  It’s interesting that both these verses occur in the same chapter and were written by the same man under the inspiration of God.  Even studying the Hebrew words revealed that the same word was used both times for “face”.  There was no difference of terms.  More interesting still is the fact that speaking face to face with God was recorded first in v. 11, while the verses shortly following that seem to restrict that ability.

There are times when God seems to “bend the rules” or bring something into the present that is actually reserved for the future.  This usually happens because of an intimate relationship with Him.  We see this in the life of David when he was allowed to put the Ark of God in a tent in his back yard and change the whole pattern of worship during a certain time period. (1 Chron. 16)  We see this at the wedding of Cana when Jesus mother Mary persuaded Him to do the first miracle even though He told her it was not yet His time. (St. John 2)

Could it be that God was saying to Moses, “You and I have such a close relationship that you have become My friend and I can speak to you face to face.  But just so you know the rules for this time period … no man can see Me and live. (Ex. 33:20,21) However … there is a place, a position beside Me, where you can stand.”  Perhaps the Lord left the door open just enough for Moses to get through.

But now the rules that held us at a distance have changed!  Now Jesus has come and died for us and opened the way for relationship with God.  Now we have a better covenant and better promises based on relationship with God. (Heb. 8).   Now there is a door standing open in Heaven and a voice calling “Come up here”! (Rev. 4:1)

What are we waiting for?  Just respond to His call.  Just start climbing, step by step, up the mountain to meet with the One you love.

*Footnote:  This is a quote from Anna Rountree’s book Heaven Awaits the Bride.

Worship had begun in the small group setting but I found it difficult to quiet my spirit and enter in.  Random thoughts and problems were crowding my mind.  Desperately I cried out to the Lord, “Take me into Your river of life.  Put me in the water and hold me under until You have accomplished Your work in me.”  For so long I tried to “get there”, to see the river, to sense His presence.  Then finally, even with my eyes closed, my vision began to be blurry or wavy.  Eventually I realized I was looking through water.

Amazed, I saw that I was laying horizontally in the river a few feet below the surface and several angels were holding me down.  They were laughing. They looked like young men in their early 20’s and despite their long white robes, their demeanor was very casual.  They were joking with each other and obviously enjoying their assignment.  Breathing under this celestial water is as easy as breathing above it and there is no sense of fear … only life and peace.  This helped to calm me but my spirit was still longing for the Lord.

Finally I saw Jesus standing in the water near me.  But I was shocked when He put His finger on my chest and slit it open from neck to waist!  Then He gently took out my heart and held it.  Looking on it lovingly, He began to massage it in His hands.  Now I could feel His touch on my spirit and it released a torrent of emotions that had been blocked before.  A flood of tears came forth, followed by a burst of joy and then such peace.

In the chaos of our lives, He comes to super-impose His reality on our current circumstances.  In one instant He can remove us from the cares and stress of life and transfer us into His timeless realm of peace, showing us where reality truly lies and giving us courage for the battle here.

Oh God, make us so much more aware of Your continual presence with us.