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Dwelling Place

Ephesians 3:17 (AMP) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love

It has been nineteen years since we moved into our home. I was pregnant with our second child (our youngest) and we were looking to move to the city our church had planted roots. At the time we lived twenty miles away. That is not a bad drive for a Sunday. We were not at church only on Sundays. We were at church six, maybe seven days a week. We had to be there at six in the morning, and we did not leave until after six in the evenings. That is a huge tole on young family. So, we decided to sell our starter home and move.

Did I tell you I was pregnant? I had specific wants for our new home. We were looking for a house with a back yard and mature trees. So that took out the new construction. I also wanted something with character. My husband and realtor were troopers. We physically went to nearly eighty houses that summer. I was in my third trimester and we were getting desperate. We decided to ride around neighborhoods and found a home for sale by owner. We called and made an appointment to see the house. We took our then three-year-old and when we knocked on the door he asked, “Can we buy your house?” It was our house. We moved in just weeks before our baby arrived.

My boys got to grow up in this house. They have had birthday parties and friends sleep over. We have had camp outs in the back yard. We have a pool, so the kids would come over every summer. Bikes were in our driveway in the summer. Our home is a welcome place for anyone who needs a hot meal, a listening ear and a place to just hang out. This is where we dwell.

Ephesians 2:22 (AMP) In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The church community we belong to is also a very important dwelling place for us. As I was in prayer I heard “dwelling place” and I started to list all the parts of what a dwelling place needs. First, our dwelling place should be a place of rest. This is where we sleep and release the stress of the day. Second, this is where we cook and eat our meals. This is where we are nourished. Third, we bathe and or shower in our dwellings. This is where we keep clean. Fourth, our homes (according to the word) are where we provide hospitality. We invite the community and give freely of ourselves. Finally, it is where we abide. This is where we get to know the others we are residing with. Our dwelling places are secure because of the foundation it is on.

Look at all five of those characteristics I laid out, and can you apply them to the home you live in now? What about your relationship with Christ? What about the church you belong to?

Psalm 23:6 (AMP) Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

Psalm 27:4 (AMP) One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.

Dwelling place is three-fold in my life. It is the home that I have created with my husband and children. It is the relationship I have with Christ. I have invited Him to dwell with me. That means He has full access to every area and permission to rearrange His dwelling. Also, my church is part of my dwelling. Although my husband and I are pastors, we find rest there, it is not a burden to get to serve the way we do. We are nourished in the presenting of the Word and the corporate worship we are a part of. The washing of the Word is an essential part of our lives. Our faith grows every time we hear the Word, from our mouths and those around us. The community we have and the way we freely give of ourselves is the hospitality that we are called to (Romans 12:3, Romans 16:2, Hebrews 13:2). The abiding with Christ should give us a desire to get to know those we worship with. I once heard that you will not grow any more in your vertical relationship unless you learn to grow in the horizontal relationships, in the place God has planted you.

I am so very grateful for the dwelling place. The foundation of my dwelling is secure so that I can be planted and grow spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually] (3 John 2),” is a scripture that I hold close to my heart. My soul needs a dwelling place. Yes, I have a soul, my soul dwells within me. However, what is feeding my soul? All five of those characteristics of my dwelling place are what feeds my soul as well. If my dwelling is messed up, then my thinking is going to be messed up. My heart will be self-centered in the wrong dwelling place. I have found a dwelling place that has strengthened me in my growth with Christ. He dwells within me and has full access to His dwelling.

I have taken Psalm 84 as our prayer for today. Read it, speak it, and meditate on it:

How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul (my life, my inner self) longs for and greatly desires the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
The bird has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence;
They will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah.

Blessed and greatly favored is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion.
Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power];
Each of them appears before God in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Listen, O God of Jacob! Selah.
See our shield, O God,
And look at the face of Your anointed [the king as Your representative].
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else];
I would rather stand [as a doorkeeper] at the threshold of the house of my God
Than to live [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
How blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation].

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Heart Matters

Luke 10:25-29 (AMP) And a certain lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law] stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this habitually and you will live.” But he, wishing to justify and vindicate himself, asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

My husband and I have been on a topic of Heart Matters on Sundays. The topic has a lot to do with our whys. I am also reading a book by Lee Strobel called The Case for a Creator. Lee admits that he clung to science as the reason that he did not believe there was a God (a Creator). In his book he states, ” For me, living without God meant living one hundred percent for myself. Freed from someday being held accountable for my actions, I felt unleashed to pursue personal happiness and pleasure at all costs.” If you have read any of his books or watched the movie, The Case for Christ (of which there is also a book), you would realize that Lee no longer holds those thoughts.

Luke 8:18 (AMP) So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.

Proverbs 4:23 (AMP) Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

Matthew 5:8 (AMP) Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.

I was asked by one of our youth many years ago, “what can I do before it would be considered a sin against God?” I told them that it is not that you are desiring to do just enough that it is not considered a sin, it is the why do you want to do that thing. Why are you asking that question? The point was what is the intent of the heart? It all goes back to why the lawyer asked the question in Luke 10; it was about self. A self-centered person is going to justify and vindicate their reasoning.

How would you answer the question: how can I have a heart of repentance and a contrite spirit? This is not a bad desire. I looked up the definition of contrite spirit, and it has to do with deep remorse for sin and a humility before God. Repentance is not a bad word. These desires have nothing to do with legalism either. They are so full of grace if you just knew the love that God has for you.

James 4:6 (AMP) But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].”

Titus 2:12 (AMP) It teaches us to reject ungodliness and worldly (immoral) desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives [lives with a purpose that reflect spiritual maturity] in this present age

God gives more strength to those who stay humble and set aside their own self-interests. There is so much power when we choose a life of surrender. There is so much more to life with you walk in obedience.

I have a situation where I am judged quite heavily due to unmet expectations. If I say that I am a Christian and I quote so many scriptures, then why I am not doing this. If I did that, it still would not please them. There would be another reason for them to be upset at me. It is not about me though. I have come to realize that. It goes back to a surrendered life. They do not want to live it because they are pursuing their own happiness and pleasures. My life convicts them and that is okay. A person living a life of surrender is going to make a person living their lives for themselves mad. I am secure in the love of Christ; I am rooted and grounded in it.

Does that come from a place of love? Yes, it does. My desire is for them to know this freedom as well, but I cannot compromise so that they will want to just do just enough, to surrender just enough. It is the same type of question my youth asked, how close to the line of surrender can I get without having to go all in? Why do you not want to go all in?

In Acts 24 we read about Paul’s time in prison. There is a certain governor named Felix that was put over his charge because he had an understanding of people of “the Way.” Felix and his wife took an audience with Paul and was presented the Gospel. However, “But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control [honorable behavior, personal integrity], and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, ‘Go away for now, and when I find [a convenient] time I will send for you‘ (verse 25). ” Did Felix never see him again? He did, he had an intent, but was it pure? “At the same time he was also hoping to get money from Paul [as a bribe]; so he continued to send for him quite often and talked with him (verse 26).”

Why are you a follower of Christ? If you are not, why aren’t you? Why do you attend church? If not, why aren’t you? Why do you do good works? Why do you serve others? If not, why aren’t you? Why do you speak the way you do? Why do you read your Bible? Why do you pray? Do not be afraid to realign your heart with these matters. I am rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ. I love that about myself, because I cannot love others well without it. If I were not, then the Gospel message that I preach would be about self-gain. We were created in His image to glorify God. My love is to glorify God. My serving is to glorify God. My giving is to glorify God. My attendance at church, to build up His body, is to glorify God. I follow Christ, because He glorified the Father. I read my Bible to know the God that I am glorifying. I pray because He is a God to be honored and praised. When He answers prayers; it is for His glory. That is why the heart matters.

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Watch out for the pricklies

Mattew 7:12 (MEV) Therefore, everything you would like men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

While in prayer yesterday, I was praying for our church to seek God first. The word ‘seek’ kept going over and over in my mind and I turned to Isaiah 55:6 (MEV), “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call you upon Him while He is near” and Matthew 7:7 (MEV), “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Then I kept reading in Matthew, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!“

I have learned with a “Therefore” that I better pay attention to what is going on before and after. We love the verses about when we ask it will be given to us but check out what He tells us to do. Do you know that the way you view people is important? How many of us are disappointed at people, but most of it is our own doing. Matthew 7:12 in the Amplified says this, “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.” What did Jesus say were the greatest two commandments? To put it simply, to love God and to love people. It is a self-centered mindset for wanting people to do for you but for you not to seek out opportunities to do for others.

Matthew 7:13-14 (AMP) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.

Be mindful of the temptation to seek the best for yourself only. Seeking God takes a surrender of self. When we are positioned to love God, we should have the fruit of loving people. Jesus tells us that anything we would like for people to do for us, we should do for them. It is not when people do for you, you do the same in return. You start the process, even if they never do in return. When we lose peace and start keeping score is when we have done things without love. Love does not keep a record and does not keep score.

Matthew 7:15-20 (AMP) Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets].

Eating from a tree that is dripping with bitterness can turn you sour. It can make you distrust God and the body of Christ. Watch out that you do not become prickly yourself. This is not to do good to the prickly people, but do not become one yourself. Set boundaries but always do good.

So, who does the initiation in seeking, asking and knocking? We do. Who does the start of the good works? We do. Can we expect others to do for us, and we are not willing to do for them? Absolutely not. Check our motives and keep our hearts pure, because self-focus and self-centeredness may seem like a path to take but it does not lead to growth in Christ. It may just lead to a life of prickly. So next time you are in your feelings about people not doing for you, get out of yourself and into the love of Christ. Seek out an opportunity to do for others, like you would want done for you.

Abba, Father, our Creator, You are worthy of our Praise and Honor. You are Marvelous and full of Majesty. You are Holy. Thank You for Your Son, our Prince of Peace. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, our Teacher and Comforter. Thank You for the revelation of Your Word to bring us to know You more. We want to know Your heart as we seek Your face. We repent for taking score and keeping records of when we feel like we have been disappointed by people. People are not our problem. Sometimes we have created our own problems, and we are sorry for that. Give us a heart that sees, hands eager to help, and the courage to move forward without pause. May our actions mirror Your compassion, bringing light to dark places, hope to the weary, and love to the lonely. Seach our hearts Lord, let us surrender our will and our ways to Yours. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Harvest so the Gift is Given

2 Thessalonians 3:1 (AMP) Finally, brothers and sisters, pray continually for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be honored [triumphantly celebrated and glorified], just as it was with you

Why would you not want others to have this great gift that you received? If you really read the Bible you will find lots of calls to action. Did you ever think that you would be the answer to someone’s prayer for their loved one?

Luke 10:2 (AMP) He was saying to them, “The harvest is abundant [for there are many who need to hear the good news about salvation], but the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few. Therefore, [prayerfully] ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

One of the things that I pray over my family and myself is that we will seek out opportunities to share the gospel with someone today. I pray for our safety, for our needs being met, but above all that His gospel is spread and we get to be a part of that. I think that is what these petitions for prayer were intended for. Not that you pray for God to send someone else to do it. Prayer without intent to be sent out yourself is just rooted in self-centeredness. We have become like tombs, whitewashed on the outside, but full of dead mens bones.

I was talking with our prayer team and made this statement that good people are still selfish if they are not willing to lay down their perceptions to His.  “If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him! (Luke 11:13)” The Holy Spirit is going to urge you to go.

Philippians 2:3-5 (AMP) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility]

I know of no other individual with a bigger prayer life that Jesus. Prayer is not just something that a select few are called to do. Intercession has been planted in all of our hearts (Ephesians 6:18). Some of us need to be more intentional in our prayer lives. Like worship, the more we enter in the more we enjoy it. However, be warned we can turn it into our self worship if we are not careful. Jesus taught us how to pray and I like to stick with that model. I do not parrot the words, but I do stay with how He wanted us to focus our prayers. I am by no means perfect in this, but I do want my motives to be right. I want you to have the fullness that God desires for you. I want you to be free in Christ. I want you to rooted and grounded in His love.

Mark 16:15 (AMP) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.“

There is not an individual that you will come in contact with that is not His created. What is the gospel? Turn or burn? Your future is hell you sinner? Here is how I present the gospel…Love came down and lived, died and rose again for me. I talked about my changed life and the fullness I have now that I live in Christ. Then I ask, do you want that for yourself? I lead them in a prayer of receiving, repentance and thankfulness. That is the gospel. That is my prayer for you this Christmas, that you seek out opportunities to give the best gift this season. I pray that you answer the prayer of the Lord of the harvest, that you bring in the harvest too.

God, Holy is Your Name. We thank You for Your Mercy and Loving Kindness. Thank You for the Gift of Your Son to put us back in right standing with You. Love truly came down. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, for which we would not have been made complete and full in Your Knowledge. Above all to empower us to fulfill everything that you called us to, the ministry of reconciliation. We desire for Your Kingdom to be here on earth just as You intended at creation. We repent for our hardened hearts and making life about ourselves. We should not have limited to what we like above what You desire. Give us this day our daily revelation through Your Word. Feed us so that we can go feed others about Your goodness. Search our hearts Lord for any unforgiveness that we may be holding onto. We want to love freely like You love. We do not want to hinder the growth in the body of Christ. Give us opportunities today to share Your Good News, the Gospel of Your Son. Let us live in grace and boldness. We choose love today. We choose joy today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. In Jesus Name, Amen.