The Son & The Bride – Inheritance & Intimacy

There are 2 primary relational allusions in the New Covenant for believers.  While there are others, such as being priests and kings, the ones that were the most revolutionary to Jesus’ followers and contain the greatest revelation are being a son and a bride.  Why are these significant?

In the Old Covenant, the primary relational “positions” between God and His people were the roles of priest and king.  Both of these roles were consummated in Jesus as both the final high priest and the King of kings – the combined role “in the order of Melchizedek” under whose authority those who are IN Christ are considered part of the royal priesthood – royal for “king” – so “kingly priesthood”.

Because these relational positions became one and culminated in the person of Jesus, those who are IN Christ acquire these same relational positions.  But these relational positions again are relevant between God and His people, so they give us a model for how to be with others in relationship.  Jesus was the fullness of this model – how to be in Godly relationship with others.

The New Covenant brings new relational models.  These are about how God wants His people to be in relationship with Him.  These relationships are primary because without the fullness of these positions in relationship with God, we cannot be “kingly priests” to others (John 5: 19).

The Son – Jesus – came so we could become “sons”.  Now, as a woman I can tell you that it can be difficult to grasp being a son.  We get very caught up in gender differentiation though this is irrelevant according to the New Covenant (Galatians 3: 26-29).  So why is it important to really understand being a “son”?  Well, it was tradition in that culture that the 1^st-born son is the one who inherits.  They typically would receive a double portion and the blessing of the family promises.  It is interesting to see, however, throughout the Old Covenant how often this got switched to the 2^nd-born son.  When you consider that there were two “Adams” – the 1^st Adam being the created Adam who was first to be manifested in the natural, and Jesus the last Adam who was 2^nd to be manifested in the natural (though He always Was as the only begotten) – it is the “2^nd Adam” that inherited everything.  So we enter into our inheritance as “sons” by being IN the Son.  That is a position of inheritance in relation to Father (Ephesians 1: 11-14)!!

SO what are we inheriting?  We have to look at the Bride to understand this.  So let me tell you a story to unfold this as I received the revelation from the Lord.

In December, 2010 a friend shared with me that when she had gone to buy some anointing oil for her daughter, the Lord prompted her to buy the case of assorted oils because she would be giving them as gifts.  When she arrived home, the Lord told her to go find the Bridal oil.  Well, there wasn’t anything called “Bridal” oil so she had to do some research (a true heart connection in this friendship)!!  What she found was something I had found over a year before as I was studying the cultural traditions of the Hebrew people during Jesus’ life – she found the Ketubah.  So she went back to her oils, and there was one called Ketubah oil, and the Lord told her, “That one is for Tricia.”  So this was the Christmas gift my friend gave me.  The Lord told me to begin anointing myself on Christmas Eve and to anoint myself every day until it ran out – and I used the last of it on Easter Sunday!!  I was entering a season that the Lord said was about “Radical Rest, Radical Receiving – NO DISTRACTIONS!”  I was about to “soak” in some amazing revelation!

Matthew 11: 28-30 (The Message):  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

The Ketubah was a contract that was put in place upon betrothal.  This would have been given to Mary by Joseph.  It was a one directional contract – meaning it was from the bridegroom TO the bride.  The Ketubah was the bridegroom’s commitment to work for, provide, and protect the bride.  It was a legally binding contract, and stated that in any event that the contract was “broken”, there would be a sum of “provision” for the bride – she would never have to worry about her needs not being met.  Basically, this contract was entered into between the bridegroom and the father of the bride on behalf of the bride – the ONLY thing the bride had to do was receive it!!!

Now, I know for you men it is just as much of a mental strain to understand being a bride as it is for me as a woman to understand being a son.  Get over it!!! (I say that with love!)  It is IMPERATIVE that we understand being a bride!!  There has been a lot of focus on being a son, and this is absolutely necessary but it’s not the fullness of the New Covenant relationship.  The Bride is the position of intimacy in relation to Jesus – it is intimacy with the Son that inherits from the Father – intimacy inherits.  Jesus shares a parable of 2 sons who positionally could inherit.  Neither of them understood what it meant to inherit.  One of them wanted his inheritance because he thought it would buy him freedom to go do whatever he wanted.  The other stayed with the father, but never understood that his inheritance was there all along for his enjoyment.  Why did they both miss it?  Because they didn’t understand intimacy – the deep abiding relationship they could enter into with their father.  Our Father has already provided our inheritance.  What is it?  It is RECEIVING EVERYTHING through INTIMACY – it is REST!  We don’t have to inherit “something” so we can go off and do our own thing.  We don’t have to just stick around and “work” so we can someday inherit.  We inherit everything by simply receiving it through intimacy – we rest from being concerned about anything in this world by being intimate with the One who owns everything (and I mean infinite resources – everything we will ever need).  I would rather just BE with the One who owns everything, than try to “find” or “work” for any other position.  I don’t have “to be” anything or “need” anything, because I’m one with the One who IS everything.  So inheritance comes through the Son, and intimacy comes through the Bride!!

Consider this – in the Garden, God opened Adam’s side in order to take what was required to form a woman to be his helper – to be his “bride”.  On the cross, Jesus’ side was opened in order that a “bride” could be prepared for Him.  Somehow we’ve missed that God is “forming” a woman for His Son.  The Church is a woman, serving under the Head (her husband) as His helpmate in the world.  We inherit (as sons) through intimacy (as the bride).  Scripturally, we are to be submitted one to another (Ephesians 5:21).  In the Garden, God gave “them” dominion over fish, birds and animals – NOT over one another (Genesis 1: 28).  The Lord is the Head of ALL of us – and as we submit to Him, we walk in submission to one another in unity.  Submission to the Lord requires FAITH – we HAVE to trust that He is FOR us before we can submit to Him (Deuteronomy 7: 9).  As we submit to Him, and we obey all He asks us to do individually, we will be able to walk in submission to one another.  It is not about trusting others, it is about trusting the Lord with our lives – submitting every situation, every relationship, every conversation, every perspective, every thought to His Lordship – allowing Him to make all of our thoughts, words and actions His thoughts, words and actions (re-read John 5: 19).

In fact, I want to challenge you men – go read every single Scripture that discusses the role of being a woman or a wife – they are for YOU.  They define what your relationship to Jesus is supposed to look like.  You are a “man” and a “husband” in this earth, but you are a “woman” and a “wife” to Jesus in the Church.  You cannot expect a woman to be any more submitted to you (respectful) than you are to the Lord (sacrificially loving).

And women, I want to challenge you – we were blessed by God with this “woman mantle” in the earth.  We are the ones who are “ordained” to walk out what this looks like – submission to the Lord and submission to the men in our lives.  There is NO place for control and manipulation!!  It is impossible to submit and retain control.  In fact, control and manipulation is witchcraft!  If WE don’t model this well, how can we expect our men to ever understand being a bride!!  The Lord is NOT coming back for a Church (a bride) that operates out of obligation, expectation, or requirement driven by control, manipulation or seduction from a place of fear!!!  That fear can be due to believing in scarcity more than abundance, from receiving your value and worth from an inappropriate source, or from a lack of understanding your identity (and possibly other “unbeliefs”).  ALL of these are answered in Jesus (re-read Ephesians 1: 11-14).  You cannot expect a man to be any more submitted to you (sacrificially loving) than you are to the Lord.

He’s coming for HIS Bride who fully understands that He is ALL She needs because He IS everything.  Do the work of believing (John 6: 28-29).  REST & RECEIVE the inheritance (Hebrews 4:10)!!  It is FINISHED (John 19: 30-34)!

www.ThePresenceCoach.com

“EdenQuest: The Ultimate Journey to Rest” is a totally free resource for spiritual growth.  Find it at the “Coaching Videos” tab on my website.

I AM a God of Fullness, Not Measure

We have SO many ways that we “measure”, but God only has one.  Under the Old Covenant, God’s Law talks about using honest scales and measures.  In the New Covenant, we are told that we will be measured by the same measure that we use.  What does all that mean?

I remember about 2 ½ years ago, the Lord really started talking to me about all of this.  He began to show me all the external things I had used as a measure of my value and worth before I surrendered my life to Him.  He talked to me about the dangers of taking that same pattern and laying it over my life with Him.  When Moses comes close to the burning bush, the Lord commands him to take off his shoes because he is on Holy ground.  When I began my surrendered walk with the Lord, I stepped into a “Holy” walk that requires me to remove all the old patterns of walking – to take off my shoes – to walk “bare” before Him.

It is a curious thing in our nature that wants to “measure” – to have something tangible to be able to define where we are or what our value is in relation to others.  And we tend to measure ourselves by the intentions we know are in our heart, but we measure others by the impact they have on us.  Well, this makes sense because we can’t “see” the intentions of their hearts.  Our desire to measure can only be met if we can find something external and visible as our “scale”, so we find all sorts scales.  Why don’t you sit with the Lord, and ask Him to show you what some of yours have been or are currently?  He gave me 2 pages worth!!

The Word of God is clear that He looks at the internal – at the heart.  He actually spoke to me, “Tricia, I take you at your heart.”  Not my words; not my deeds – at my heart – at the thoughts and intentions that are driving my words and my deeds!  He sees what is NOT visible (things I can’t even see in myself unless He reveals it), and according to Romans 12: 3 the only thing He is measuring is faith.  And that faith has been given to us by Him.  How does He measure our faith?  Galatians 5: 6 tells us that what is important is “faith expressing itself in love.”  He looks for love.  He is perfecting our faith so that we can fully love as He loves.  It takes great faith to love unconditionally!!  It means unconditional forgiveness, unconditional grace toward everyone, and unconditional gratitude for everything in your life – WOW – a tall order!!  But, God!!

SO – the Lord spoke to me, “Tricia, I AM a God of fullness, not measure!”  The Lord is the only one who knows the faith He has placed within each individual, so He is the only one who can measure to what extent they are walking in the faith they’ve been given and are growing in it.  Love is the indicator, but we can’t measure that because we don’t know the capacity of faith any single person has been given by Him in order to be able to express love.  He explained it to me this way.  “Tricia, if I give one person the capacity (faith) the size of a swimming pool to love, and another person the capacity (faith) the size of a thimble, and they are both loving to the fullness of the capacity they have been given, it is equal to Me.”  Now, we experience hurt and pain in this world because we are all running around bumping into one another with our various capacities to love, expecting that others should be where we are – we ALL have our “rules of engagement” – or as the Lord lovingly showed me – I have my “religion according to Tricia”.  The other way we experience pain is that the Lord is IN us – His LOVE is IN us pushing and pressing, trying to constantly EXPAND our capacity beyond our comfort zone so we can receive a greater measure of Him.  He wants us to receive the FULLNESS of Him – which is the FULLNESS of LOVE.

Growing our faith is the key to receiving the fullness.  We exercise and grow our faith through obedience.  As we are obedient (careful here – obedience is out of love and reverence, NOT out of fear), our faith grows because we experience His faithfulness and our capacity to love expands.  This is our life journey with the Lord – it’s a good walk!

The Lord will not allow any external, visible scale as a means for us to measure ourselves or one another.  That would only be a tool by which to judge each other.  Now, if we choose an external scale or measure, that will be the same scale or measure He uses for us.  Think about it – if I choose “my scale / my standard” by which to measure you, He will use someone else’s “scale /standard” that is higher than mine by which to measure me.  There will always be someone who is or has operated at a higher level of faith, obedience and love than me (or you), so the Lord can find any number of scales to choose from.  The ultimate “scale / standard” is His Son so even the highest “standard” demonstrated in human terms will be trumped by that “standard”.  The Truth is that I can’t measure your love or your faith.  Faith is demonstrated by obedience to what He has asked each of us to do, and I have NO idea what He’s asked you to do so I don’t know if you are being obedient or not.  Only He does.  He is the One who sees the unseen.  I’m so glad that the only one I need to be concerned about is me.  The rest is in His capable hands!

www.ThePresenceCoach.com

“EdenQuest: The Ultimate Journey to Rest” is a totally free resource.  Find it at the “Coaching Videos” tab on my website.

Love Without Borders – Life Without Limits

A couple of years ago, the Lord book-ended a day for me with 2 passages from Scripture.  In the morning, He had me in the Old Testament:

Joshua 1: 10 – 15

10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’”

12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 13 “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you after he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest by giving you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, ready for battle, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites. You are to help them 15 until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land the LORD your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

That night, He had me in the New Testament:

Matthew 11: 28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Actually, in my evening devotional that this Scripture “showed up” in for that day, it said specifically “rest for your soul”.

So an “alarm” went off in my head saying “pay attention to this”!!!  As I went back to the morning passage, all of a sudden I SAW that my “territory”, my “land” IS my “soul” – but what did that mean?

Over the course of the past 2 years, I have received the deep understanding of how all of this fits into my identity.

You see, if my soul is the place He is giving me rest (emphasis on He gives rest, but we labor to enter into it), then the part I play in that whole thing is to patrol the borders of my “territory” and decide what gets in and what doesn’t get in, as well as what’s already in there that has to be removed.

Change “territory” for “soul”, but then realize that your “soul” is your “identity”.  So for me, He got me really rooted and grounded in the truth of my identity, but I had to control the borders with great intentionality.  My identity is in Him, which means that the goal of all my border control efforts had to be a focused effort to practically apply His character of love as demonstrated through patience, kindness, grace, mercy, gentleness, goodness, and self-control.  The more I applied those characteristics in every situation, the greater joy and peace I had.

So what does “border control” look like?  Well, for starters, I learned that it is NOT what I had always believed “boundaries” to be.  My boundaries were around my “identity”, NOT around how I was (or was not) in relationships with people.  I had to ask myself a LOT of questions, such as “If I want to become Love, how do I have to respond in this situation / conversation?”, “If I want to be a free receiver, and not be an obligation, what do I have to do in this relationship?”, etc.

What that ended up looking like is that I had to become aware of and let go of every fear-driven response inside of me and trust the powerful love that was also inside of me to push through.  I had to let go of self-protection and really believe by practicing it and proving true that God is my protection – I said it, but I had to DO it!  I had to let go of performing and earning and really believe by practicing it and proving true that God is my provision – I said it, but I had to DO it!  I had to let everyone else go from any and every obligation to BE anything for me and really believe by practicing it and proving true that God is all-sufficient to meet every need I have – I said it, but I had to DO it!

So what happened?  All the fear-based dams in my heart, soul and mind were broken through by the Love inside of me as I chose to love through every situation and conversation.  I let go of all the fear-based responses:  blaming, rationalizing, anger, self-protection, expectation, building walls, performing for acceptance, seeking external gratification, etc.  I released others to be who they are, where they are, and just to love them right there. I GOT to love them.  As the dams broke, Love broke free and rushed out everywhere!!  Now, there are no borders – life is limitless!!!  I don’t have to focus on border control because anything fear-based would have to swim upstream against the powerful flow of Love – which is the violent force that casts out fear anyway – fear has no way to enter!!  I get to wake up every day with nothing more to figure out.  I don’t have to have the answers.  I just get to love, and then love, and then love some more – such freedom!  See, on this side of fear, it’s EXPANSIVE because I get to include EVERYONE!!!  I don’t take enemies Sunday through Saturday, so knock yourself out – you can’t make me NOT love you!  If you could, that would mean that I relinquished my power and authority over my territory to you and I allow you to determine my character and my response – I would be allowing you to determine the conditions of my love.  But my Love is unconditional, which means there can be NO conditions and I can have NO enemies!

www.ThePresenceCoach.com

“EdenQuest: The Ultimate Journey to Rest” is a totally free resource for spiritual growth.  Find it at the “Coaching Videos” tab on my website.

EdenQuest: The Ultimate Journey to Rest – RELEASED

Presence Coaching is so thrilled to introduce you to “EdenQuest: The Ultimate Journey to Rest”.  For most of us, rest seems fleeting and something we occasionally “take” for ourselves.  Somehow we know deep inside there is a deeper rest that exists that seems to evade us, yet we long for it.  Come take that journey!!  EdenQuest is a TOTALLY FREE resource for you as a guide along the way.  I hope you capture your stories and share them to encourage others!  Feel free to post comments right here if you want to share publicly.  If you want to share personally with me, you can do so from the “Contact Me” tab on the website.  Please enter your information there as well if you’d like to receive future resources, notifications and emails from Presence Coaching.  Finally, I am delighted to be a part of this journey with you – let’s get started!!!

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The Scales of Justice

Journal Entry – 11/8/09

I went for a long walk yesterday.  I was thinking of how many people I know who are sick – I mean really sick with serious stuff.  It’s like the enemy is really on the move.  Could it be that this is his final rampage because the end is almost here?

I was thinking of this as I walked, and my mind wandered to the whole “fear of the Lord” / “love of the Lord” balance.  As I thought about this and all the sick people, I felt the Lord begin to talk to me about His two attributes that seem to trip people up the most – I knew I was getting ready to receive a powerful lesson – and indeed I had a paradigm shift.

So, the two attributes are His judgment and His goodness.  It’s interesting, because I’m tempted to write “His love”, but that’s from the old paradigm and would completely refute what He taught me.

So I see Him place a balance scale in front of me – like a scale of justice.  Instinctively, I place His “judgment” on one side and His “goodness” on the other.

Then I begin thinking again of all the sick people – or it could be those who are experiencing financial difficulties, the death of a loved one, a broken relationship, a wayward child.

I began to realize that the enemy uses this paradigm to tell people 1 of 2 things about their circumstances:

1. You have done something to cause your circumstances and this is God’s judgment.  (This can’t be true because Jesus tells his disciples that no one’s sin caused the man to be born blind – it was so God’s glory could be revealed.)
2. IF God is good these things wouldn’t happen. (This is the taunt from the garden that questions God’s nature.)

BOTH options / choices for viewing our circumstances are sinful because both of them are opposed to the TRUTH of who God is.  The enemy wants to keep us in THIS paradigm!

So as I walked and pondered, I realized what He was showing me.  The truth that He IS Love, and He IS Constant means that BOTH attributes – His goodness AND His judgment belong on the same side of the scale – BOTH are expressions of His LOVE.

So I saw His hand reach down and pick up “judgment” and add it to the side where “goodness” sat.  The scale tipped completely to that side.

So He asked me what goes on the other side.  Suddenly I realized that it’s the enemy and in my mind I viewed the scale balancing again as the enemy was place on the opposite scale.  Now, if the enemy can’t keep us in the 1^st paradigm, this is the next paradigm he will try to keep us in.  Let me show you what I learned about how this works!

So from this perspective, He asked me to play with the scale and the impact of free will on the balance.  So I pictured individual people standing on the top of the scale making a choice as to which side they were going to jump on (and this was with every single decision / choice placed before them) – and the scale would adjust accordingly.  But then the visual just seemed to scream out to me – it CAN’T be that way because Satan’s side is NEVER at an advantage!  The danger of this perspective is that Satan can use it to condemn people for their mistakes by making them believe that they’ve somehow contributed to his getting an “advantage” over God.

So then I thought that no matter how many jump onto the enemy’s side, it never goes in that direction, but with each one that jumps on God’s side, it moves in favor of God.

But WAIT!  That can’t be right either!  That would mean that we are somehow responsible for the victory – but the VICTORY is already WON – and it belongs to God!

All of a sudden I saw it – ALL weight shifted to God’s side – there is no balance – ALL power is God’s, Satan has none.  The “weight” is the POWER.

What I saw then was an ammunition plant with all the ammo in the world, and there’s a pile of bullets that get discarded because they’re duds – they didn’t get packed with powder.  These are Satan and his cast.

Those bullets are on one side of the scale and all the other ammo is on the other side of the scale.  Satan aims those blank bullets at the individuals standing on the top of the scale – with every decision and choice they have to make.  We’ve all heard stories of robbers using fake guns, or ones that aren’t loaded, to rob a store.  And it works because the people don’t know it’s harmless – there’s no power there to destroy or kill or steal.  But they give it away anyway.

So the enemy aims his blank bullets of sickness, financial destruction, (really the 3 wilderness temptations – loss of provision, loss of protection, loss of promotion) to intimidate people to see things from the 1^st paradigm:

1. God must not be good, OR
2. I’ve done something to deserve this as God’s judgment (which puts His judgment outside of His goodness and assigns power to the person to control God’s character).

Satan will use disease and sickness to impact the lives of not just those who are sick, but the loved ones who are also vulnerable in the situation.  Or what about financial problems which are rampant today?  Can you see Satan heightening his activity?  I believe the over-emphasis on blessing and prosperity of God’s people is one of the greatest tools the enemy will use to bring people back to the 1^st paradigm.  If a person believes that following Jesus means prosperity, and that’s the primary emphasis, and they don’t prosper then they logically have to conclude either option 1 or option 2 from the 1^st paradigm.  There are plenty of characters in the Bible, highly favored by the Lord, whose lives are blessed but not easy and not full of wealth.  The blessing comes in the form of power to have joy, faith, and praise the Lord in spite of their lack or their struggles.

So – the scale NEVER moves – ALL power was, is and always will belong to God.

(NOTE: Ps 62:9 – the Lord proved that we add no “weight” by His Word – this Scripture was added March 19, 2010)

Psalm 62:9 (New International Version)

Lowborn men are but a breath,
       the highborn are but a lie;
    if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
       together they are only a breath.

Psalm 62:9 (New Living Translation)

Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
      and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
   If you weigh them on the scales,
      together they are lighter than a breath of air.

What matters is your choice – and it matters for you (not for God – it matters TO God, but not FOR God).  When you look at the bullets aimed at your life and question God’s goodness, the enemy has just handed you a blank bullet and you have no power.  BUT – when you look at the bullets aimed at your life and you declare God’s goodness in the midst of it – you have the power of the entire ammunition plant behind you!  And, as you claim God’s goodness, He actually places that ammo – those bullets – within you.  They are His power and His glory for the world to see through you – and they are PACKED with powder – they are powerful!  The world sees God’s power and glory when you proclaim His goodness and sing His praises in EVERYTHING!

It doesn’t matter if there are 6 million on Satan’s side of the scale and only 60 on God’s side – it will never shift.  A remnant is more powerful than the whole world.  Gideon’s 300 are more powerful than all the armies of the earth.  David’s 5 stones are mightier than a giant and all his weaponry.

The other piece of great news is that I can’t make a bad choice that will tip the scale in the enemy’s favor.  God can be patient – “long suffering” – with my transformation because He has nothing to lose in my mess ups, but He can gain my complete devotion with His loving kindness, grace and mercy.

So when I think of this image, the strategy becomes clear.  The victory is already determined – we know the end of the story.  The battle truly is in my own mind.  I win that battle by proclaiming God’s goodness ALL the time and laughing at every empty bullet – the “duds” – that the enemy points at me.  I become steadfastly rooted in the absolute character of God – He IS Love – and both His judgment and goodness are based on that alone.  All I have to do is remember the image of the scale!

www.ThePresenceCoach.com

“MINE!”

Have you ever watched young children play?  They can be perfectly content playing with something UNTIL another child walks in with a different toy.  The other child’s toy is suddenly snatched away with the emphatic statement, “MINE!”  Teaching a child to share is a critical task assigned to every parent.  But what is the deeper truth going on in all of this?

One day a few years ago as I watched this dynamic play out between 2 children in real life, I had this sudden awareness that this can, and often does, still play out in our adult lives in more sophisticated and less obvious ways.  How many times have I myself been jealous of someone else’s talents or gifts and wanted them for myself?  What I realized is that there are 2 ways of being jealous about what someone else has.  The first way is to want it for yourself in a way that takes it away from the other person.  This reflects a mindset of limited resources – scarcity – there’s not enough for both of us.  The second way is to want it for yourself in a way that allows both of you to have the same thing; saying, “Me Too!”  This reflects a mindset of unlimited resources – abundance – there’s enough for everyone.

As I reflected on the differences, I realized that your approach is determined by your understanding of God.  As I sat in my quiet time not too long ago, I heard the Lord explain to me what His infinite resources looked like.  If He were to give everything He had away to just one person, He’d turn around and still have it all.  It never diminishes, the supply never dwindles, it is ALL always there even if He gives it ALL away!  That’s an incredible thing to wrap your brain around, but will free you from living from a scarcity perspective to an abundance perspective.

What is your mindset on your resources, gifts, and talents?  What is your Heavenly Father trying to teach you as His child about sharing?

www.ThePresenceCoach.com

Bella

Journal Entry 11-21-09

My friend, Beth, and I escaped for a few days to her beautiful lake house to work on our written exams for coaching certification.  She brought her adorable Bichon Frise, Bella, with her.  Bella moves a bit gingerly, as she is getting old – but she is the most adorable little dog.

Right now, Bella’s little white fluffy face just popped up outside the door to the back porch.  She’s peering through the glass, with her little head turning to the left and right.  I just let her out to go potty – it didn’t take long – and she immediately came back – no wandering around or exploring possibilities for her.  She looks inside, with a knowing that she’s supposed to be – and with a desire to be – inside this house.

She begins scratching at the door – notifying whoever may be inside that she is here – ready to return to her rightful dwelling.  It was necessary for her to go out for a brief time to accomplish necessary business that couldn’t be done inside the house, but she knows by instinct where her home is – and where she belongs.  She’s not interested in staying away for one minute longer than what’s necessary to accomplish what she went out to do.  And the thing that’s interesting is that this is a “temporary” residence – a lake house that Beth and her family retreat to on weekends.  So I don’t even think it’s as much to do with this “house” as it is to do with her owner’s “presence” in this house.  Bella knows who she belongs to instinctively is even a more accurate statement than knowing a specific “where” she belongs.

I wonder if that’s what that speck of time out of all eternity was like for Jesus.  He wasn’t on an exploration or adventure.  He left His house to take care of business that could not be done from inside His home in heaven – He had to go out in order to come here, but He didn’t stay one minute longer than was required to finish what He came here to do.  And the whole time He was here, He could look from His place here on earth and see through the glass of the back porch door, the hearth of his true dwelling.

Can I see it? Am I intent on completing the business required of me – not busy exploring all the world’s possibilities and confusing the outside world with my truest inside dwelling of my Father’s house?  Do I allow myself to become adventurous with the things outside and forget to maintain a focus on the glass door of my heart where the Holy Spirit of eternity dwells?

Father, today please allow me to grasp eternity and my truest home in all that I do.  May all my endeavors have intent and purpose to accomplish the business I’m here to do – may my life not be frivolous!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What do your eyes see?  Does your heart know its way home?