Sunday, January 19, 2020

Can We See God?

Hello everyone,

John 14:21 (AMPC) says, “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]”

What a powerful scripture!  Jesus promises to reveal Himself to us, to let Himself be clearly seen by us, and make Himself real to us.  Isn’t this the cry of all our hearts?  Well, according to this verse - it’s a promise we can certainly experience.  And not just when our bodies die and our spirits go to heaven, but now, while we are here, living on earth!

Obviously the question we need answered is how?  How, on earth, do we get to see Jesus this way?  Well, the first part of this piece of scripture tells us quite clearly doesn’t it?  It all has to do with God’s Word abiding so strongly in us, that we begin to know and experience His overwhelming love for and in us.  This is where we get to see Jesus. 

Let’s back up a little to John 15:7, where Jesus speaks about His Word abiding, or living in our hearts.

John 15:7 says, “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”

I believe this verse holds the key for us to see Jesus and walk in the fullness of life and victory Jesus secured for us, through the finished work of the cross.  It sheds critical light on how our relationship with God’s Word directly affects our relationship with Him and the influence this relationship has on our prayers - when we pray from this place of abiding! 

In our previous letter I began explaining the transformation process we experience when we choose to abide in Jesus - the Living Word; and have His Words continually live inside us.  

Today, I want to go a little deeper in explaining this process, showing you how the  Word of God, when embraced, becomes a surgical tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit - to the place where the eyes of our hearts are wide open to see God.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”

Oh, I can’t tell you how much I love this verse, it holds such weighty truth!  You can’t but shudder at the authority it credits to the word of a God being alive in our hearts.  That’s why it’s essential for us to hold God’s word in such high regard.  It is alive and full of power to go to work on the inside of every believer and transform our very nature, at its core.

It’s that same seed of God’s incorruptible word that was supernaturally planted within our spirits the moment we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of our lives.  It began its transforming work the instant we received and embraced it!  That work was so powerful it snatched us out of the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of light in an instant!  

Can you just imagine what it can do in and to us if we continue to let it dwell in us richly?  Oh my, I can, because scripture tells us exactly what it can and will do, if we fully open our lives to it: 

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendour and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.”

There it is - the power of God’s Word allows us to clearly see the glory of God.  We see the very nature of God: His goodness, His kindness, His faithfulness, His mercy, His awesome power, His majesty, His indescribable beauty.  The true nature of God is revealed as a reflection when we look deeply, with open, eager  hearts into His Word.

Now, because His Holy Spirit is doing the revealing, what we learn and see goes beyond mere knowledge.  We don’t just learn about the nature of God when His Word comes alive in us - we experience Him!  We actually encounter Him in His word.  

And it’s when we do, we are changed, one glorious degree at a time into His very own image.  And it’s not just a small degree of change - it’s a continuous, ever increasing degree of splendour, from glory to glory!  All done by His Spirit Who lives inside us!

You’ll recognise the process of this transformation the instant the word becomes life to you.  It’s as though the light was switched on in your soul, and you see and understand something with more than just in your mind, your spirit actually leaps with joy at the truth that has reached its home in you.  

You actually feel so connected to the Lord and alive in Him at that very moment.  You actually feel Him in that truth because you experience everything the Word says His Presence is.  

The spontaneous joy, the pleasure and delight, the peace, the unfailing hope, His overwhelming love - all of it abounding at the same time, rushing up like a powerful fountain inside you.  This is where the Holy Spirit reveals God to us, in His Word.  

For me, this is where I know, without a shadow of a doubt, He is alive in me, He is with me, He is for me, and He is EVERYTHING His word says He is to me!  It’s when I know I’m completely rooted in Him, and every worry, every concern, every fear pales in comparison to the confidence and faith I have in Jesus and His incorruptible Word that’s alive and dwelling in me - all in that moment.

So what does this have to do with what we can believe God for in prayer?  Well, everything! You see, experiencing Jesus in His word like this, where your confidence and faith is so real and great - that’s when you begin to pray from inside the throne room of God!  That’s when you begin to declare His word with true power and authority from a position of being seated in heavenly places with Him!  

That’s when every word you pray resonates with the Spirit of God - as though He is praying through you.  You can literally sense each word going out with such power that the very atmosphere around you is charged and there is no doubt that it’s producing exactly what its declaring in the spirit realm as well as the natural - hallelujah!  

Why?  Because we are praying in and on the authority of the Living, revealed Word of God!  Against this - nothing can withstand!

When Jesus said, “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” ; He gave us a key that will unlock the reality of living in the fullness of life and victory He paid the price for us to enjoy.

Next week, I’m going to explain more about how knowing Jesus, the key keeper, causes us to walk through the door of breakthrough into the place He has for us!  Until then, make every effort, with all joy, to experience God in His Word this week.  You’ll set into motion this process of being changed from one degree of glory to the next, forever changed by His Word!

All my love,


Jenny 

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