Where AM I?
I used to get lost easily. Even if I was going to go somewhere I'd been before, I used to ask my husband to tell me again how to get there, just to be certain I wouldn't get lost.
But my GPS (Global Positioning System) has given me a whole new sense of freedom! My muscles no longer cramp with worry when I have to drive to a new location. Thanks to that little app on my cell phone, I am directionally challenged no more!
It's nice to know where I'm going and how to get there.
Wouldn't it be GREAT if we knew that spiritually? If we always knew where we were going and how to get there?
Sometimes God's HPS (Heavenly Positioning System) is very specific, but often, it's more general. And there are times when He seems silent. Or, we may feel as though life threw us a curve and we ended up on a road we hadn't planned to take.
During those times we can feel a bit lost.
But wait. There are two locations (coordinates) we need when using a GPS: where we're GOING, and where we ARE. Fortunately, our GPS can identify where we are by satellite, so we're never completely lost.
Spiritually, we can ALWAYS know where we ARE.
If we know we're "at home" with God, then we know we're not alone. And we know we don't have to figure it all out on our own. In fact, HE is our HPS.
The key to knowing where we're GOING is knowing where we ARE.
Our "location" is ALWAYS IN CHRIST.
The "bad" us, the no-good-rascal us, the mean-spirited us, the unkind us, the ungrateful us—died with Jesus on the cross.
The new creation us, the son-of-God us, the daughter-of-God us, the holy and blameless us, the "RIGHT" version of us—rose with Jesus and is IN Him.
You are INSIDE GOD if you have asked Jesus to set things straight in your life, through His blood shed for you.
You are INSIDE JESUS.
Holy.
Blameless.
Accepted.
Favored.
Chosen.
Loved.
Now if you're like me, your mind just glossed over those words because you've heard them in church a thousand times before. You KNOW these truths in your head.
But it's with our HEART that we are able to believe these truths about ourselves.
God has said these things about us, but our HEART needs to believe them in order to find our way forward in victory.
How do we move these things from our head to our heart? How do we find our LOCATION IN CHRIST?
We have to start somewhere. Here's one way to begin:
All good investments take time. We have to MAKE time for what matters. Try this exercise and you'll be pleasantly surprised!
First thing in the morning (or the best time for you during your day, when you can bring your mind to a place of focus), before your mind is active, sit with God quietly.
First, read Colossians 3:1-4 thoughtfully. Ponder what it's saying about YOU. About YOU IN CHRIST, and IN GOD. Let it sink in. If it helps, read it in several translations. Say it out loud. Read it slowly.
Then, close your eyes—and during this exercise, if your mind starts to wander or if your thoughts begin running away from you, pull them back and refocus (be patient with yourself in the process). You may have to refocus quite a few times . . . Our minds need to learn to focus on things above.
IMAGINE yourself seated with Jesus, at the right hand of the Father in heaven. (go ahead, we have a sanctified imagination—Ephesians 3:20). Allow yourself to "see it" in your mind's eye, and take your time.
Imagine THE ATMOSPHERE all around you: the HOLY atmosphere—and you are INSIDE that atmosphere as a HOLY, new creation, daughter or son.
Next, IMAGINE no stain, no sin, no negative anything in that place. You are INSIDE that atmosphere, you're without any faults. Let yourself picture it.
Continue on down the list of words written above, imagining each description. See yourself as accepted in that place, as favored, as chosen, as loved. Take 30 or 40 minutes to let your heart imagine these TRUTHS about YOU, as God has repeatedly declared in His Word.
This is your LOCATION. This has BEEN your LOCATION since you accepted the exchange Jesus so lovingly offered you (Romans 8:29).
Now, from this place of rest and security, go about your day with your heart tuned to being in Jesus, with God. You'll find your whole being is much more at rest.
As our hearts know our spiritual location IN CHRIST, we'll be able to hear more clearly and sense with more clarity the heart of God directing us in where we're going.
Selah!
This blog is not meant to counsel, but to encourage people toward deeper relationship with God.
If you need counseling, please contact a pastor or a counselor in your area.
