Wednesday 18 August 2010

Finding the Sanctuary

At last. Through waiting, reading various books – mainly ‘Secrets of the Secret Place’ by Bob Sorge, ‘Experiencing the depths of Jesus Christ’ by Jeanne Guyon, ‘Abide in Christ’ by Andrew Murray, by endless ‘soaking’ ie waiting in God’s presence, through many tears and prayers: It is dawning on me that He has never left me.
I have searched the world for His Presence only to find it is within.
Pushed to one side on days by the clamouring of my flesh, but always, He is within.

Psalm 26: I wash my hands to declare my innocence.
I come to your altar, O Lord singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles.I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place of your glorious presence.

What is this sanctuary? It is a place where father, son and spirit will dwell, and I can be there too.

Where is this sanctuary? It is supposed to be in my heart.

How will it get there? By inviting him in.

What will cause him to stay? Create at atmosphere, a culture, where he will be comfortable. He will actually create this for me, but he wants my permission to do it. He wants to clear out the old furniture before fitting it with new, he wants to change the decor from earthly to heavenly.

I need to become a mobile home for the Father.

Whose am I?
■Get rid of preoccupation with the world, worry about the world/world system.
■I belong to a different kingdom

Who am I?
■A daughter of the King. This defines me. I am not defined by what I do, my career, my function in the church or my writing. I am not even defined by my relationships. I am Princess, Beloved BrightHeartShining, my Father’s daughter, a friend of Jesus

How does he want the Sanctuary to look like?

■Declutter. Get rid of bad habits & rubbish.
■Change the wallpaper from negative thinking to a thing of beauty
■The furniture: throw out tables of ‘me first’, chairs of ‘my rights’, cutlery of arguing, bookcases of time-wasting, clear out indifference, meanness, impatience, unkindness
■Allow Jesus to move in new furniture……tables of love, chairs of kindness, cutlery of grace, putting others first, covering up others faults with love
■Become a people person. Look at people, even strangers….see their inner pain, allow Jesus to show it to you & allow him to grow compassion in you…be kind to those who abuse you.

How?
■I can do none of this myself. The Holy Spirit is my Helper. I am weak…that is ok.