The Most Holy Place

A curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle and temple and separated the presence of God from the Israelite priests who served there.

Only the high priest was allowed into the Most Holy Place, and only after a strict regimen of cleansing. Jesus cleanses us from our humanity, so that we may serve the Living God through His divinity within us (Hebrews 9:14).

As Jesus took His last breath on Calvary's cross, the temple curtain split in half from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Most scholars believe that God orchestrated this torn Temple curtain as an object lesson for us.

It illustrates and signifies the fact that we cannot earn our way to heaven, but we can now enter the presence of God by the blood of Jesus with confidence in our salvation (Hebrews 10:19).

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, He sets His seal of ownership on us and gives us His Spirit as a down payment of our inheritance (2 Corinthians 1:22).

Once we repent of our sins, ask for forgiveness and surrender our will to Him, He moves into our Born Again spirit and resides within us all through our lifetime. He places us in His Body and we work together for His glory.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Christ lives in us (Colossians 1:27). Our Spirit is the Most Holy Place where God resides. God makes us a holy sanctuary in which He can dwell (Exodus 25:8).

Cleansed from sin by the blood of the perfect Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19), we are His priests and we shall reign with Him during the Millennium for 1000 years and then serve Him throughout eternity (Revelation 20:6).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our safe haven and our power to deal with temptation and persecution (Psalm 46:1). Even in the most unthinkable and earth shattering circumstances, with our faith in Your faithfulness, we have no reason to fear (Psalm 46:1-3). We consider trails as a time of great joy, because they are an adventure with You (James 1:2).

We stop our stressing and watch You work in our behalf (James 1:2; Psalm 46:10). We are Your children (Romans 8:15). You promise never to leave us or to forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). You are our Mighty God who saves us and abides within us. You celebrate over us with delight. You calm us with Your love. You even rejoice over us with thunderous singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

Thought for the Day:

Our hope in Christ is the sure and steadfast anchor for our soul. – Hebrews 6:19

One More Time Again

The other day, after hearing a loud thud, I went into the bedroom to find my husband flat on his face in a tiny space between the chair and the bed. I prayed about what to do, but felt total peace.

My initial reaction was to say, "Well, Beloved, you have gotten yourself into quite a pickle." He was virtually squeezed between the furniture and I was amazed at how he could have gotten into that small space.

I rubbed his back, but could not tell if he was dead or alive. The words of John Denver's song flitted through my mind, "I always thought that I'd see you one more time again."

I wondered if my Heavenly Daddy took His Saint home to be with Him. I internally prepared myself for a new chapter of life and continued to pray about what to do.

"Home alone" was not a state of being that I looked forward to experiencing a second time. I lost one husband when he decided there was no option for us but divorce; and now the husband that God gave me to care for and cherish me was flat on his face on the bedroom floor.

Hearing my voice, my comatose giant stirred and I immediately asked, "Beloved, should I call 911? Are you hurting any place…head, heart?"

His weak response was, "My knee is really hurting me right now."

A knee…well, that did not sound very ominous. I inquired, "May I help you up, or would you like to rest there a few more moments?" As if being squeezed between two pieces of furniture could be comfortable.

"No, I need to get up" was his sweet reply. Helping him to a standing position, I supported his considerable weight on my small frame, but I did not mind. He was still ALIVE.

We staggered over to the side of the bed for him to sit down. He immediately began rehashing what had happened in the last 10 minutes. 

"I woke up with a start from a cramp in my leg and jumped up to work it out. Then, instead of sitting on the edge of the bed to allow the blood to flow into my head, I went to the bathroom.

"As I stood there, I got lightheaded and broke out into a cold sweat. The next thing I remember, I heard a loud thud and I lost consciousness until I heard your sweet voice talking to me."

"How did you fall into that tiny, carpeted space between the furniture?"

"It had to be the Lord, because I could have broken bones, gotten a black eye or hit my head on some piece of furniture or the tiled bathroom floor; but when I fainted, He had me free fall right into the only clear, carpeted space available."

We both shook our heads in wonder and silently praised God for His Fatherly care of His child. "Since I just popped out of bed when my leg cramped, I guess I should have sat down and let the blood into my head before going to the bathroom."

We stared at one another over the miracle we both just witnessed. Our awesome God cared for His beloved Saint through every second of that ordeal, which could have left me a widow.

I greatly rejoiced and clung to my husband and cried. He wrapped his arm around me as he always does and snuggled me into my favorite place in the whole world…firmly protected in the circle of his love with my head resting peacefully on his muscled chest.

Prayer:

Father God, since we are loved by You, I know from experience that losing a mate does not hurt nearly as much as one would anticipate. You walk with us - in us - through every step of the rocky road of recovery. You work out everything to our advantage and You provide for all of our needs: physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and financially. As an authentic Believer, we experience every trial as a grand adventure in You with new people, places, ministries and purposes.

We still have anxiety which attempts to derail our faith, but You give us constant 'hugs' throughout the day to remind us that You are in us and living this experience in union with us. We still grieve our losses, but the tears are healing to our soul. Remind us not to take life for granted. Thank You for Your love and mercy in this case, by allowing me to actually see my beloved husband one more time again.

Thought for the Day:

As we completely surrender our heart to God in prayer, and relinquish our hold on unholy thoughts, words and deeds, we will not be ashamed or anxious, but confident and full of His courage. - Job 11:13-15

New Life in Christ

Jesus became sin for us and hung as a criminal on the cross in our place. After His resurrection, He walked the earth for 40 days, appearing to people and ministering to them. These eyewitnesses give us infallible proof of His resurrection. He was the first born of God’s children to come back from the grave and He now has total supremacy over the all things (Colossians 1:18).

For His entire life on earth, Jesus surrendered His will to God’s and He calls us to do the same thing. His resurrection power works in us, giving us the ability to do His will (Philippians 2:12-13). We relate to Jesus death through the death of our carnality and by our baptism into His life (Colossians 2:12, Galatians 2:20). We have perfect fellowship with our Heavenly Father, just like Jesus did (1 John 1:3).

God rewarded Jesus’ faithfulness with the glories of Heaven. Jesus demonstrated to us that when we give up our life for God, we gain the splendor of Heaven as well. We walk in the victory of God’s Spirit in our spirit, victory over sin in our soul and victory over death in our immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). Jesus lives out His life in us by God’s Spirit, who abides in us and leads us each moment of our day.

We receive Christ’s divine nature as we total surrender to and obey God’s will for our life. We are holy vessels, set apart for God’s service. We renounce all worldliness, rebellion and apathy as we admit our helplessness without Him, live in dependence on Him and accept our significance in Him. God’s Spirit works the holiness of Christ in us and gives us His life and anointing.

Prayer:

Father God, as our flesh dies with Christ, our spirit rises up to walk in a new life in Him (Romans 6:4). Like the three Hebrew children taken into slavery, we refuse to partake in the sin of this life. We keep our self holy and pure by fleeing from temptation and submitting to Your Spirit each day. Help us to live a life of responsibility, forgiveness and wisdom like Joseph did. We wait in breathless anticipation for our new adventure in Christ to unfold with each new day.

Thought for the Day:

Everyone in Egypt saw the hand of the Lord on Joseph’s life, because the Lord was with Him as He is with and in each of us. – Genesis 39:2

 

Security in an Insecure World

There are so many unknown entities and insecurities in life today. Our world’s governmental and financial situation is predicted to eventually fall like a house of cards. This news certainly does not inspire confidence in our future. However, for authentic Born Again Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ there is no fluctuation in our joy and peace or in our hope for the future (Romans 8:28).

We may find our self in a simpler lifestyle, without modern conveniences and money, but the Lord of All always cares for us. It usually takes most people years to mature to the point of learning to praise God in all things, especially in the negative aspects of life. However, when we finally realize that all things will ultimately work out for our good (Romans 8:28), then it is so much easier to go with God’s flow.


We are citizens of Heaven, because we are born of God (Philippians 3:20). God hides us with Christ in Himself to keep us always safe (Colossians 3:1-4). We rejoice throughout every new adventure with Him, and we look for His miracles couched in the circumstances. We confidently know that He will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). He gives us the desire, the energy and the ability to do His will for our life (Philippians 2:12-13).  


Sinners attempt to justify their existence; however, their soul knows without a doubt that sin separates them from God. They use defensive tactics to keep other people or their conscience from condemning them, but they know the truth no matter how much they try to deny it. Jesus eradicates this dichotomous struggle from the Believer’s life (Romans 8:31-39). He sets us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).


Prayer:

Father God, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice, Satan can no longer harm us (1 John 5:18). Our security in this life starts with the lack of condemnation, which comes from a sinful lifestyle, but is eliminated by Jesus’ death (Romans 8:1). Thank You for setting us free from the Law of Sin and Death by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Help us to live our life cleansed by Jesus’ blood, led by Your Spirit and right in the center of Your will for us, which is the happiest place on earth (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

When we call on the Lord and come to Him in prayer, He always listens to us; however, we only find Him when we seek Him with all of our heart. – Jeremiah 29:12-13