Heaven on Earth
“The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.”
Psalm 25:14, NKJV.
Take a moment and imagine this. There’s this place that exists where it’s just you and God. Every fear you currently hold, every bit of anxiety, every worry about tomorrow, even every irritation in your mind or spirit is shut out. This space overflows with the peace of God. You are grounded in the knowledge of who you are and excitedly aware of the gifts that God has placed within you. With every limitation and distraction left on the outside, you move in sync with God. You hear Him. You understand Him. In agreement you begin to pray and declare everything you’ve heard. This space is filled with supernatural confidence and excitement flowing from His word. It’s also filled with knowledge of the self-disciplines required to see this through. You’re inspired by the awe of God and when you leave this space there’s a visible impact in every single area of your life. This is Heaven on Earth and you find it by intentionally cultivating it.
If I asked you what God wants to see in your life this year, would you have an answer? Before you begin to answer with all the things you want to see, remember that I asked what God said. I know that seems like a question that’s impossible to have an answer to but that’s not true. God wants to invite us into the secret things concerning us. Of course, there’s so much we don’t get to know and have to continue to surrender to and obey in faith, but even still, there is so much that God wants to share with you, and more importantly, prepare you for.
This is different from your everyday prayer - it's setting aside a fixed time and entering each day reading His word, fixing your mind on Heavenly things, and not allowing anything to dilute your intentionality. Choose your length of time in advance and then honor it. Be intentional about not filling your mind with just any music, television, apps, etc. You want to make sure you silence this noise so that when God speaks you can hear the whisper ... so that when God speaks His word isn’t competing with the voices you’re hearing on social media every day. You can take one day, you can take ten, what matters is that the time is a sacrifice and that you are intentional about it. When you start, it may feel awkward or like you don’t know what you’re doing but don’t let that discourage you. Stay there. Read His word in the morning and in the evening. Meditate on it each day. Ask Him to speak to you and show you who you are. Learn what worship truly means. Handle your responsibilities and then come back to Him. Get your work done and then come back to Him. Your entire future exists in Him and there is no way of achieving it without getting into His presence.
Lastly, it’s important to note that sometimes, even in this space, you can still miss what God is saying because you’re looking for something that seems big to you. The reality is that anything He says, no matter how seemingly small or unrelated to your present circumstances, will push you toward who He’s called you to be. God may tell you to learn what it means for Him to be your confidence, to practice your patience, to stop engaging in certain things, to study a certain story or person in the Bible, to start praying for others more, to practice building your home, to reduce your spending, it can be anything - any single word from God is meant to bring you closer to Him and closer to your destiny.
I would love for us to catapult in our faith this year. Let’s be those who don’t lead ourselves but are confident that we are led by God. Let’s seek to hear from God first and then align ourselves with what we hear and let that be what we declare. Let’s listen for what He wants to see in our lives and bring any other goal, idea, or resolution into the obedience of His word over us.
“Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25, NKJV.
Be sure to read the follow up to this message: When God Sends You Into Warfare.