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What an amazing privilege we have to commune with our Heavenly Father, and with our Master, our Lord and Savior who ever lives to make intercession for us.

Sometimes our day seems to escape like water through our fingers.  But when we pause to spend time in His presence, suddenly we can hang on to that water.  A day in His presence is never a waste!

Jesus went to go prepare a place for us in the spirit, a place of abiding, a place of dwelling, so that "where I am you may be also."  This is a now place.  It is the place beside the still waters where He restores our soul.

We don't realize how much our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ each long for our fellowship.  One of the main themes of Jesus' last teachings after the last supper involved coaching the disciples in how to become one with Jesus and with the Father. John chapters 13 through 17 are a legacy of how we can stand and stay connected with them throughout all the trials and tribulations of the world. What a concept!

First He washed the disciples' feet to demonstrate that we are to serve in humility.

He shared a new commandment to love one another, even to lay down our lives for others. 

As we progress in our love, we are no longer servants, but friends. 

He then taught that He was going to prepare a place for them. He was talking about a place in the spirit where we could dwell and visit Him at any time.  This is the place "that where I am you may be also" of John 14:1-3 (which is a phrase that Jesus reiterated in the prayer in 17:24). 

Interestingly, the word "mansion" is actually the Greek word meaning "dwelling place," and "staying place" in the Aramaic.  Jesus said that He is about to go to prepare a place for us to hang out, to stay, to dwell or abide.  This is a place where you can visit Him at any time.  We now call it as David did, "the secret place of the Most High."  Hallelujah!

This all reinforces the understanding that Jesus was not teaching about a future place to live in heaven, but a readily accessible place in the spirit to visit with Him at any time.  Remember the veil that was torn in the Holy of Holies when Jesus was on the cross?

Jesus then shared extensively about The Holy Spirit and how it is that the Holy Spirit will make all of this possible.  John 16:13 says that He is our guide into "all truth."  The all truth is not a "thing."  He is a person!  His name is Jesus Christ.  One of the Holy Spirit’s assignments is to lead you into the place that Jesus prepared for you so that you can personally commune and become one with Him.

And finally He declared that even in the midst of worldly tribulations, He will give us peace.

Jesus brought all of these teachings of the previous few hours into focus in chapter 17 when He prayed. Five times He declared His passion in His prayer in John 17, "that they may be one as we are." This is His all-time goal for you and for me! In essence, it is the summation of all His purpose while on the earth - to make us one with Him and thereby with our Father also. exactly as He had learned to do with our Heavenly Father.  Amazing!

Today is the best day of all to find Him, to pause what we are doing and acknowledge Him.  Crazy easy to do!  He has not made it difficult to find Him in the secret place of His presence. 

Jesus is waiting for you in the garden.

He has a lot of things to tell you.

He's been longing to share His heart.

He's aching to hang out with you.

He's got astonishing things to show you!

God is still hoping His people will realize that manna is to be gathered every day, and that Jesus is still that bread of life. Settling for less than actual conversations in hearing the voice of the Lord is what so many Christians do.  They rationalize themselves out of hearing His voice with great-sounding reasons.  But we must ask ourselves why Jesus urged us to hear His voice, only to have us settle for visions and dreams like Aaron and Miriam in Numbers 12?  As a parent are we ok with one-way conversations with our children or our spouse?

"Today if you will hear my voice and not harden your heart..." is entirely current and valid for you and me.  It is the precursor to entering His rest (Hebrews 3 and 4).  And it is the criteria for entering the Promised Land both in Deuteronomy (8:1-3 and Joshua 5:6) as well as today’s Ephesians. His sheep really do hear His voice (John 8:47, 10:16, 27), and we do well to press in, laboring with the Holy Spirit with all of our heart to hear Him.  He has not made this hard!

May you be blessed in finding Him today, and drinking from His Fountain of Living Water.  May you enjoy being in the presence of the Lord every day!

You can capture the whole video teaching on this subject from the video page on our website, and while there, check the many teaching books on how to hear the voice of the Lord in the bookstore.

With you for the Kingdom of God, and in much love with you,

--Dr. Paul D. Norcross

http://www.kingdomfaithministries.org