Purpose, Passion & Pursuit

CHAPTER 19 OPEN HEART SURGERY It is from the corridors of His secret place that the Lord beckons us to come up higher. This private getaway is not to be taken for granted, because the Word of God teaches us that it is indeed a privilege to ascend into the holy hill of the Lord. To be found in His Holy Place is an awesome unmerited sanction that should be greatly appreciated and cherished. For, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?” (Psalm 24:3 NKJV) The question is asked in a rather rhetorical manner, because it is understood that the presence of God is so very holy that really no man can stand in God’s presence based on his own merit or esteem. We must therefore greatly revere God’s presence to the point that we count none worthy of standing in this place, but that which is covered by God. Of course God is indeed omnipresent, which means He is everywhere. So no matter where we go, technically by that definition, we are still in God’s presence. But in this context it speaks of the Holy Place, the intimate corridors of the Lord in which we can be refreshed by the dew of His glory. We don’t deserve such a privilege, but it is granted to us through the awesome wonder of the grace of God. He embraces us with His never failing love and His wondrous mercy, as He invites us into His presence. It is for this reason that God orchestrated the tearing of the veil, which symbolized the mending of the breach between God and man; this breach being caused by sin and repaired by the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. The tearing of the veil was therefore a tearing away of the barrier that prevented us from entering into the promises of our heavenly Father. Sin created that barrier, Jesus became our bridge. He became our access. The veil was torn so that we may have free access to His presence. Although salvation is free, it certainly came with a high cost. While we were dead in our sins, Jesus Christ voluntarily gave up his life as the sacrifice for our sins. That’s an expensive transaction. Salvation could only be bought through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and Jesus paid our debt in full. What an amazing God we serve! Having knowledge of such grace, we should revere the communion that we experience amidst God’s secret place. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed to enable us to have such peace, such comfort and contentment. It is there, in the secret place of our King that the Lord begins to download revelations of mysteries into our very being, through the mainframe of our heart. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV) It is through that spiritual download within the heart that we are granted free access to the strategies and principles that we must follow in order to accomplish our purpose. We would do well to live according to the design that God created for us, long before we were even given the breath of life. “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV) Inside the secret place, even the subconscious secrets of our own hearts are revealed to us, as we become completely naked before our King. It’s because it is such an intimate encounter with our Counsellor, our Friend, that we can become completely naked before Him, void of all inhibition or pretence. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1 NKJV) This is why God calls us away from the crowd and into the solitude, so that we may be transparent before Him without fear of reproach. He leads us into the dark confines of solitude so that He may be the light we have been searching for. He is the light that is able to illuminate every dark crevice of our lives. Before we can boldly walk out the principles God has given us, and begin to manifest our purpose, we must first deal with ourselves. We must engage a thorough investigation of the inner man, the man behind the mask. We cannot ignore the man who is crying out to be healed, but who is also too ashamed to disrobe himself in front of the physician. That wounded man will therefore remain with his ailment until his pain becomes more overwhelming than his pride. Jesus is calling this man before Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is indeed The Great Physician and He desires that none of us should perish. The Lord desires that all who find themselves in His presence will grab a hold of the virtue that He possesses and receive healing from every ailment or infirmity. The Lord wants to remedy every deficiency existing in our emotional life, our spiritual man, our physical being, and even the instability of our finances. In the design of a loving Father, we are given principles that steer us towards stepping out of lack and working towards a prosperous life, that places the Lord at the centre of our motives. In the obedience of God’s design we comprehend that even the accumulation of our finances should be placed under submission to the Lord, understanding that it is God that enables us to obtain wealth to bring him glory. “He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ 18 Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.” (Deuteronomy 8”16-18 NLT) It is in the mountain of His splendour, in the magnificent radiance of His glory that He heals us from such deficiencies and brings us to a place of wholeness. It is then that we become equipped to return to the battlefield, and take back all that the enemy has for us and begin to truly manifest our purpose. How can we minister to others before we ourselves become healed? We would exist as individuals plagued with all manner of pestilence, while simultaneously trying to fulfill the role of physician to God’s wounded soldiers. We may exist in that capacity for a while, but it won’t be long before such practices may spell D.E.A.T.H for those whom we minister to, as well as ourselves. DEGENERATE “Having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline.” – Oxford Dictionary. When we become degenerate within the vein of our purpose, we become less effective in all that we do. Similar to the breakdown of the body, the breaking of the spirit affects our output. Our performance is diminished because we become weak within our mind and spirit, which ultimately causes a decline in our physical energy as well. The body responds to the instruction of the mind. EXHAUSTED “Completely used up; no longer productive as a result of being drained of resources.” - Oxford Dictionary. In this state we begin to feel empty, out of steam, and completely fatigued. It is difficult to focus on purpose when you feel like you have no fuel left in the tank. It is hard to muster the strength to keep going when you feel like you have just given it your last ounce of effort. The body shuts down and the mind enters a process of overload, while your spirit becomes isolated and out of tune with its divine source.