Deep thoughts by Jack Handy?

Does anyone out there remember those silly Saturday Night Live skits "Deep thoughts by Jack Handy?" http://www.deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com/ (No, I wasn't always Miss Holy and yes I'm that old...) But anyway, I think Jack needed deliverance... he had some pretty ridiculous thoughts.

But I guess my point is this. Don't we all? Especially when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. One thing I've had to learn is that true intimacy with God starts with thoughts. How you might ask? Well our perception of our relationship with God will always be what we experience. If we think God doesn't speak to us, well guess what, we won't be able to hear his voice. Or if we think, he's upset with us and feeling guilty, those condemning thoughts will actually serve to separate us from God. Not because he's separated from us, but because we believe that He is. What we believe or perceive will end up being truth for us, even if it's not really true. Did that make sense? Am I sounding like Jack yet?

Anyway, my point is this: Sometimes we feel like we are million miles away from God, when in reality that's impossible. Think about it, if you have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then he lives inside of you and you were joined to Him (1 Cor. 6:17) . How can you be far away from someone who is one with you? But if you are like me and didn't grow up in a good word teaching church, your head was chalked full of religious ideas. For years, I know that I always had this nagging feeling that God was mad at me or not pleased with me for some reason. I was so aware of my inability to keep his commandments that my conscience was constantly condemning me. I had no revelation about how to live by grace.

But then I remember, one day in prayer, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Schlyce, if you're going to spend quality time with me, you are going to have to press past the lies you've been taught and believed in the past. You are going to have to take me at my word. I love you and I love to spend time with you. I do not see your sin. Jesus became your sin 2,000 years ago on the cross. It's over. So get over it. Quit feeling bad about something that has already been dealt with. If I don't remember your sins, why should you." Man, that set me free. Here I was spending all this time thinking about my sins rather than Jesus.

Another lie that I had to press past is the one that it's hard to hear God, when in reality that is not in line with God's word. The word is full of scriptures telling us that God speaks to us. In fact Jer. 33:3, tells us that when we call upon him, he will answer us and show us great and mighty things that we knowest not. God isn't rude. He doesn't ignore us when we speak to him. He doesn't use caller i.d. to screen us when we call. He always hears and answers us. In fact, he lives inside of us so even if we wanted to escape him, it's impossible. Ephesians 1:23 says that we are His very body, the fullness of Him, that filleth all (KJV). That means very simply that we are one with Him and the fullness of His presence is everywhere.

But is that our perception? Are we looking for a "feeling" or a external "sign" to prove to us that God is with us, listening and yes, talking back? We serve Love himself. He lives inside us. He's in every breath we take. He's not mad, disappointed, or surprised by anything I say or do. One of my favorites Psalms to meditate on is Psalm 139. When you get a moment, check it out. Read it in the New Living Translation if you have one or visit http://www.biblegateway.com/ for an online version. I read this Psalm a lot in my quiet time to help me get my perception right about how to approach God - believing that he's right there with me, at that moment, excited about getting to spend some quality time with me. And you know, once I get my perception right, I hear the most amazing things from the Lord.

So I urge you to approach the throne boldly today knowing that the throne is actually in your heart. And I think you'll agree with me that deep thoughts from the throne are infinitely deeper than any Jack Handy ever had...

Love,

Schlyce