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We are standing

Romans 5:2 (AMP) Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].

While in prayer the other day a song popped into my head. It still comes up randomly and is playing over and over again at this moment. It is just the chorus, but it caused me to ponder of the meaning of this song as I was praying.

We are standing on holy ground
For I know that there are angels all around
Let us praise Jesus now
For we are standing in His presence on holy ground

I do not want to start with the first line, I want to really stress that the presence of God is not earned, and you do not need a formula to get there. If you are in Christ, then where you are now standing in His presence. We as a church do not need to sing the right songs to enter His presence. Is your mind focused on Him? What is your heart aligned with? Our atonement has already been paid for with Christ. You may still believe that it is only the elect that can go into the presence of God. It is not reserved for your Pastor or even an earthly Priest.

Hebrews 4:15-16 (AMP)  For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].

What did come to thought when I remembered the lyrics about standing in His presence? I thought of Moses and even though they were to be given the promised land, Moses desired His presence to go with them.  And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” Exodus 33:14 (MEV). Rest is found in His Presence. Rest is a place of peace. When they entered the promised land, they were physically going to have to work and fight, but they would be at rest. When I step out of who I am in Christ, that is when unrest happens. Worry, anxiety, disappointments and even a feeling of defeat can come over me.

Psalms 16:11 (AMP) You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Another benefit of His presence is joy. Not just a little bit of joy, but fullness of joy. Jesus even states in John 15:11 that the abiding and instructions of obedience was for, “I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.” An overflowing amount of joy. Does that seem too good to be true? What are you abiding in? What has your mind been focused on lately? Are you still holding on to the worries you said you had given over to Him?

We are standing on holy ground. This is not a literal ground we are standing on. This is the position we have in Christ. Moses was told to remove his sandals in Exodus because of the holy ground. This is not that. Are you good ground? Jesus referred to soil, seeds and roots. What makes it holy? When we consecrate ourselves to the Lord. When we surrender ourselves to His will and His purpose. I am good ground not because of me, but because of Christ in me. In the Old Testament the word used in Hebrew was qadash (קָדַשׁ). Garments, utensils and furniture were qadash-ed for use in the temple. It was because of Christ that we now have a different look at sanctification.

Romans 12:1 (AMP) Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.

In Hebrew, qōdesh (קֹדֶשׁ) means “holiness,” it is only after we consecrate ourselves that we can live in holiness. This is not an outward appearance. Why would He call us to abide in Him? For this very reason. He calls us His royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).

1 Peter 1: 15-16 (AMP) But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by your godly character and moral courage]; because it is written, “You shall be holy (set apart), for I am holy.”

Character is developed; it does not require us to change anything on the outside until we all the Holy Spirit to work on our inward nature. Too often we get excited of the new life in Christ that we want them to look the part. We want them to act the part. We do not point them to the one who transforms our thinking. We do not encourage them in the identity of Christ. Character is developed from the abiding. Roots cannot grow without the abiding. They will not know the deep love of Christ without the abiding. Looking holy is not being consecrated and does not lead to true holiness. We are holy ground because we have consecrated ourselves to the Lord.

Finally, I want to look at what it means to stand. Standing does not lack movement. Our knees are not locked. Our hearts are. Our minds are. We are focused on Jesus. Jesus said to go. We are to be open to the opportunities given to spread the gospel. We are standing prepared because we are standing in His presence. Angels all around is like with Elisha talking with his servant and prayed for God to open his eyes (2 Kings 6:17). We are never alone. The kingdom of God is not wishful thinking of heaven one day. When we pray “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in Heaven,” what do that mean to you? Are they religious words or our they what you truly believe? I truly believe that eternity started the moment I received my salvation. I truly believe that I am a tree of righteousness, rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. It took me a long time to realize all of it. I do not want others to have to take the long way that I did. I want to point them to the abiding. I want to tell them that consecration is not hard or complicated. I want to tell them about a choice of surrender leads to a different way of thinking. I want to let them know true character development happens when the Holy Spirit leads. I want them to really know what it means that we are standing in His presence on holy ground.

Abba, Father, Creator and Lord, You are Mighty and Glorious, worthy of all honor and praise. You are Holy. Thank You for Your Son, our Redeemer. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, Your manifested presence here on earth. Help us to keep from over complicating what it means to be consecrated. We repent for not allowing the abiding place to be where relationship happens. It is only here that the ability to walk in real consecration and holiness happens. We want to walk in victory over sin, but we cannot do it apart from You. Today we choose to humbly draw near. We desire to qadash ourselves to You. We desire the power of purity that flows freely from Your presence, it is our heart connection to You. The nature of Christ within is imparted when we keep in step with Your Presence. We declare with our whole hearts that we are standing in Your presence on holy ground. We choose surrender today. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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How deep?

Ephesians 3:16-18 (AMP) May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]

Earlier this week I had a group come over and swim. There was a young girl who is probably eight or nine and she wanted to know if I could touch the bottom. The deepest part of my pool is eight foot deep. That is pretty standard for home pools and what I grew up swimming in. When I was a preteen, I could hold my breath the whole length of the pool and swim from end to end under water. I showed her how to dive down and touch the bottom and use your legs to shoot yourself back the surface. I am much older and cannot quite make it from one end to the other in one breath, but I can still sit at the bottom for a moment and then shoot myself back up.

God desires us to know Him intimately and that takes us going deeper. I love the amplified translation here where it says to “deeply rooted” and the “depths of His love.” It reminds me of a vision that Ezekiel had as recorded in the Bible.

Ezekiel 47:1 (AMP) Then he [my guide] brought me back to the door of the house [the temple of the Lord]; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house (temple) toward the east, for the front of the temple was facing east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar.

The water flowing starts as a trickle coming from under the doors of the temple threshold doors, then it flows into a mighty river. We are individually and collectively the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 2:21-22). Jesus, our Living Water, should be flowing through us (John 7:37-39). These waters should be enough to swim in. I love that visual.

I know some have a fear or feel insecure in water. So, this visual of swimming may not be as peaceful for you. What is a vision of peace that you do have? I love the beach and listening to the crashing waves as I read a book. When I was a teenager, I would get in a float and just let the waves take me out and down the coast. My grandmother was fearless, so I guess that is why I grew up so comfortable in the water. It was her pool that I learned to swim in, and it was she who let me just float in the waves.

The river in Ezekiel did not start off deep. It stared ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep, then deep enough to swim in. God calls us to deeper knowledge and relationship with Him. He wants you to be rich in His Presence.

Ephesians 3:19 (AMP) and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

Along the banks, as we continue in Ezekiel 47, the fruit trees grow and never wither and produce fruit year-round, with leaves used for healing. In Isaiah 61:3 we are called trees of righteousness, because we are firmly rooted in God. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the fruits if the Spirit that we should be cultivating in our lives. Fruit that is meant to be producing continually and to share.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (AMP) Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord. “For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters, that spreads out its roots by the river; and will not fear the heat when it comes; but its leaves will be green and moist. And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought nor stop bearing fruit.

Why is this vision in Ezekiel so important? It depicts God’s power to restore and to bring abundance. The source of living water comes from our relationship with the Holy Spirit. He refreshes and sustains us. We are never separated from His Presence if we are in Christ. The river symbolizes His transforming power. What happens when we surrender fully and allow the deep waters to take over? Can you trust His transforming power? One of the biggest things about teaching littles to swim is that they can get splashed in the face. I taught my boys to swim at an early age, but the lesson did not start in the pool. It started in the home at bath time. I would pour a cup of water over their heads or let them sit in the shower with me, so the waters would trickle over their faces. It teaches them to remain calm. His waters also bring life where there was death, healing where there were sickness and blessings where there was barrenness.

I just love water. It is what I fill my cup with first thing in the morning and drink all day long. Nothing needed to add to it to taste better. I do not need a flavor, just plain purified water. My pool is crystal clear and ready for swimming at a moment’s notice. I rent it out sometimes, so I need to be ready at all times. Is that not what the Bible tells us about sharing our faith? We are to be ready in any season (2 Timothy 4:2). How can you do that without the deepness of His love? How can you do that without His living waters, the Holy Spirit that brings all things back to remembrance? I invite you to go deeper this year. My word for this year was joy; He gives it in abundance. It comes as a fruit of the Spirit. Dive deeper with me. Get into the overflow.

Abba, our Father, our Creator, our Banner, You are Holy and Marvelous. We are so enamored with Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your Son, our Redeemer. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, our Teacher. Thank You for Your Word, our knowledge of You grows deeper as we partake of reading Your Word. You have shown us the deepness of Your love. Thank You for loving us so richly. We repent for not spending time with You each day or putting our thoughts towards You. You are more than we could ever need. We commit to spending time in Your Word. We commit to a life of surrender to grow deeper into who You called us to be, ministers of reconciliation, rivers of living water flowing through us. As we continue to pursue You, You pursue us. Let us be fully aware of all the real, personal and practical ways You lavish Your love on us. We desire the deep. We are not afraid of the overflow, overtake us. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose surrender today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.