Tag: Practicing the Presence of God

Righteousness is the truth revealed and working in you!

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Walking as the Bride in the Kingdom of God

The tenets of this path were inspired by the Book of Esther.
The beauty treatments prepared for the maidens who were to go before the king consisted of 6 months of purification with oil of myrrh and 6 months of perfumes and cosmetics. As I continue to “walk as the Bride”, I am growing in understanding as I experience it. Prayer, Praise, Purity, Practicing the Presence of God and the Beauty of Holiness are metaphorically speaking, the ingredients that detoxify our hearts and minds, to increase our capacity to receive spiritually. As we activate the 1st 5 treatments, we are being cleansed of the dead weight that we have been carrying around most of our lives. Low self-esteem, guilt, insecurities, past hurts, shame, etc.; all these and more are drawn out and burned by the fire of the Holy Spirit as we pray, praise and practice His presence in order to heal and make us new in Him.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61

Let me be clear, this walk is about Christ Jesus! The above scriptures were spoken by our Lord when he introduced his ministry on earth (Luke 4). Christ is our Bridegroom. Our growing in intimacy with God through Christ brings the reality of “Christ in you” to bear in our lives!

The cleansing water of the Word of God and the precious Blood of Jesus entitles us to partake in that which has been obtained for us. It is our intimacy, our developing relationship with the One who loves us that enables us to acquire and establish the Kingdom of Heaven within. Not head knowledge only but a true experience that can be seen and demonstrated in our lives. Thus the purpose of becoming “oaks of righteousness”, whereby those in our circle of influence may come under our shade to grow in the things of God and to establish His Kingdom in their lives.

You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
Psalm 30:11-12

But we have the Mind of Christ!

“A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of the hidden powers and possibilities within himself.”
― James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

From Glory, to Glory, to Glory…….

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“Initiatic Science regards the human being as a microcosm created
in the image of the macrocosm, the universe. And since the Lord
reigns from the highest point of the universe, in human beings
there is also a peak representing the Lord – their higher self.
So when you concentrate on the Lord to ask him to grant your
wishes, you touch the highest point of your being, and very pure,
subtle vibrations are released and spread through you, producing
highly beneficial changes. And even if you do not receive from
the Lord all that you asked for, you do gain something, some very
spiritual element.
It is true that your request often is not granted, because from
heaven’s perspective what you are asking would not be
particularly good for you, and so it may be refused you. But your
request is useful in that you have succeeded in reaching this
peak within and so been able to release a higher power, which
spreads through you, influencing all your cells and all the
entities within, and bringing you extremely valuable elements.”

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:29

All Aboard!

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Consistency

Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed an increase in search visits regarding consistency. Interestingly, I have been in prayer about this aspect of the path in recent days.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit is moving in this area.

For in him [Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.17 He is before all things and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:16-17

Consistency is that which strengthens our faith. It is as we walk this path daily, moment by moment, that we are knit together in Christ, as the Bride, advancing in the things of God. Consistently praying, praising, pursuing purity and practicing His presence; it is cultivating the seeds planted in the spirit. As a practitioner, I have noticed how a lack of consistency in one area impacts all. If I pray on again, off again because I am so busy with life, I find life becomes busier. As I become overwhelmed with the busy-ness, I’m too frustrated to be thankful and nothing seems quite praiseworthy. If I am striving, without praise, it is so much easier to snap off than speak peacefully and the pursuit of purity is like trying to untangle string. Get the picture?

The idea is to be aware, keeping tabs on where you are in your inner life. Something as random as stomping your toe on the way out of the house is a good signal that you may need to check where you are. There is a reason behind the pain in your throbbing toe. You don’t stomp your toe every day, do you? If so, an intervention is pending!
Take a day off or at least a few hours and have a spiritual retreat.
Remove yourself from noise, clutter, anything that could distract your peace.
Take this time to get your Soul Train back on its rails!
Where have you been missing it? Who or what has you off course?

Praise is what I do!

Walking as the Bride in the Kingdom of God

Praise
In an earlier post, I listed 10 tenets or beauty treatments inspired by the Book of Esther and I stated that the order did not matter. This is incorrect. After reviewing my personal experiences and the order in which I received these inspirations, the path is as follows:
Prayer
Praise
Purity
Practicing the Presence of God
Beauty of Holiness
Singleness of mind/Mind of Christ
Humility
Giving
Trust
Consistency
Why is the order important?
Sometime after I began this path, I had the opportunity to share these tenets with the congregation of my local church. I mentioned that the Beauty of Holiness (tenet 5) seemed to come of itself without any conscious effort or action on my part. Later, our Pastor, Ed Brinson shared that “Praise is comely to the upright”.   Psalm 33:1.

A Bible commentary from The Treasury of David on Psalm 33:1 states “For praise is comely for the upright.” God has an eye to things which are becoming. When saints wear their choral robes, they look fair in the Lord’s sight. A harp suits a blood-washed hand. No jewel more ornamental to a holy face than sacred praise.

The simple statement Pastor Ed brought forth gave clarity to what I perceived as “coming from nowhere”. In truth, Praise (tenet 2) is a link to what follows on this path to increase in every area of our lives.

Our praise and thankfulness to God is the beginning of Beauty, to be complete in Him. As we praise, we are set apart to Him, to worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness.

I am with you always, even until the end of the world

Practicing the Presence of God

The Lord is an ever present help (Psalm 46). How we experience this is through Practicing His Presence. In this practice, we “taste and see that the LORD is good, for blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). By this I mean we are meditating on or rather ‘chewing’ on the tastiness of God’s presence in our lives.

It is our experience as we walk this path with Him. As you ponder these things, going along as usual in your daily life, you will notice a marked increase in what you perceive as His ever presence. The Lord manifests His presence to us in many ways. As it is “Christ in you”, it is you, having the experience, thus perceiving in your own way.

However, it is during worship that the anointing; the presence of the power of God is perceived, giving our spirits a boost in this awareness.

Take a listen and see if you notice anything; perhaps a stirring in your spirit?

* I apologize for the additional step to YouTube but it is worth the trip.

My Grace Is Sufficient for you….

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians12:9

05heh

Today is a 5
Numbers hold a special significance in the Holy Bible, especially in terms of the original language being Hebrew. In Hebrew, each letter possesses a numerical value. Gematria is the calculation of the numerical equivalence of letters or words based on the Hebrew alphabet to gain insight and explore ideas in scripture. In Hebrew, the letter HEY is equivalent to the number 5. It is comprised of the letters dalet (4) and yud (10). The vertical and horizontal lines of the dalet represent the physical world, while the yud signifies the world to come. Therefore the HEY is symbolic of the combination of the physical and spiritual realms.
In Christian theology, the number 5 is significant because it represents grace and protection.
So on this 5 day, I encourage you to receive God’s grace; spirit, soul and body!
The wars and rumors of wars, the economic struggles, the Ebola threat, threats of the corporate downsize, etc., on and on….
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
Psalm 91:7-10

The Cosmos is within us!

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First, I would like to thank you for visiting. My writing is pointless without readers to receive the message.

The Walk of the Bride in the Kingdom of God consists of 10 tenets: Prayer, Praise, Purity , Practicing the Presence of God, the Beauty of Holiness, Humility, Giving, Singleness of Mind/the Mind of Christ, Consistency and Trust. We have briefly explored each Beauty treatment and I sincerely hope you have been experiencing the many benefits. Clearly these are spiritual exercises that require action, allowing us to observe our experience from the inside out. Hmmm, am I really mixing Christianity with Quantum Physics? Yes! We have previously explored the nature of the brain during prayer and it was enlightening from a scientific point of view. Now let us consider the nature of the observer and the world around us.

In Quantum Physics, things act or react based on whether or not they are being looked at or focused on.
It is attention or intention that produces results.

I am not a physicist. Nonetheless, I believe this perspective helps us understand Christ consciousness. The Bridegroom who will come for the Bride without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27) is WONDERFUL and GLORIOUS. Moreover, the Bride accepting and receiving the Bridegroom is in itself Christ consciousness. This is the ultimate reality. It is the engine behind “ Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father”(John 14:12).
The Apostle Paul says, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

The spiritual is above and beyond the natural flesh and blood world. We do not want to miss this reality as we walk as the Bride. It is the Spirit that gives life; to our hopes, our dreams, in the here and now. Too deep? Maybe, but look at it again. What do you see?

Faith is believing what we do not see and the reward for this kind of faith is to see what we believe
Saint Augustine

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide…Forever

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:5-8)

Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out.
Robert Collier

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle

Dripping water can eat through a stone
Chinese Proverb

“If you run out of ideas follow the road; you’ll get there”
Edgar Allan Poe