It's me, mike hillebrecht

When someone makes a claim that there are a number of elements in some process or event, often, people are conditioned to look at the numeric values as a hierarchy of importance. Therefore, “one” becomes the most important, followed by a cascading of lesser important points. My claim of there being three pillars to grace could tend to allow these writings to fall into this trap. However, the builder inside of me has a more stable purpose in making this claim.

For a moment, picture a 3-legged stool. This is the sturdiest device to sit upon because the position of the legs allows for a natural balance on any surface. If you have ever sat on an uneven surface in a 4-legged chair, you can relate to the rocking effect which happens with one leg unable to reach equilibrium with the other three. In this example, three is what is necessary to create stability; no one is more vital than the other as they each act as “one” in the effort to support the whole. With this as a backdrop, allow me to begin to develop the three pillars of grace.

The First Pillar of Grace

This first pillar will be difficult for many of you to accept and will take some time to meditate and contemplate upon. This first pillar became the ultimate revelation which Paul discovered in his ministry to the Gentiles. The first pillar is that grace is sufficient for you.

Sufficient is in many ways a word which evokes gloom. A crust of bread or thimble of water is “sufficient” after all if you’re hungry and thirsty. Deprivation is attached to “sufficient” simply due to our desire for bigger and better…things; things someone told us we needed to be…anything but sufficient.

Look, I cut my “Christian” teeth on the prosperity message, so I know all about “God wants you to be prosperous,” which most think means be rich with loads of money, houses, cars, boats, and planes. No one preaches that God want you to be “sufficient.” Sufficient in not in the prosperous community vocabulary because to them it means quitting, no longer striving for the best God has for you. But God said, “My grace is sufficient for you…” How isn’t grace His best for me?

I stated a few posts back that grace has to do first with the spiritual realm and then the material realm. Religion forces people to look at the material realm first and what is happening within it in order to enter into the spiritual realm. Grace is spiritual and cascades into the material not the other way around.

So why do people have difficulty in accepting the sufficiency of grace? I’d like to say it’s because of their poverty mindset but this hearkens back to the prosperity message. Actually, it has to do with their thoughts of lack. Think of every situation where you haven’t felt able to handle the moment. How often was it because you felt you lacked something? Be serious. Money, education, skill, people, resources, health, on and on it goes. The thoughts of lack overwhelmed you and made you turn to the god of your creation for help.

You read that right. Your created god. The “Santa Claus” god, or “Alfred, the butler” god, or on rare occasions, the “Helen Keller” god. Lack makes us do strange things with our gods. We plead, cajole, crawl about like a whimpering baby, demand, command, concede and then ignore to go find some other substitute for the situation. We made lack an enemy that only a god can overcome, and we know just how to tell this god to do it.

With this lack-luster mindset we fail to recognize how all things are possible with God; the God who can do all things exceedingly, abundantly, above all you can think, do, or imagine; the same God who knows you’re sufficient in His grace because He is made strong in your weakness!

Oh yeah, there’s the rub, the condition to grace, right? You must be weak. That is a claim of lack, people! You lack strength, God doesn’t; grace served upon your admission. Seriously, do you truly think God doesn’t know what your strength is?

Take a moment to consider what I declared about what the bible says: All things are possible with God = sufficient grace; The God who can do exceedingly = sufficient grace; Abundantly = sufficient grace; Above all = sufficient grace; You can think, do, or imagine = sufficient grace.

Honestly, the only thing we lack is the revelation of how sufficient we are in His grace. Once this comes upon you, you will begin to understand the life Jesus lived is possible in your life too. Then, loaves and fishes takes on a whole new meaning.

In the first issue of this series, I made the follow distinction of grace:

A “throne of grace” is a description of what proceeds from the seat in thought and action rather than its construction. Just as your friends recognize you in your car, we are supposed to recognize God as He functions from His throne. Those who do, agree that all they witness is a spectacle of what grace is like. You must recognize grace – not as you’ve been told, but as it emanates from the throne.

I stated in the last posting that the Genesis creation event is depicted in two distinct perspectives: The kingdom of God versus the fallen kingdom of men. We find the kingdom of God represented wherever there is the proclamation, “…Let there be…” The creative nature of these words encapsulates the law of grace. Yes, grace is a law with indescribable power to bring order into chaos, peace into madness, and joy into despair. Grace is the highest law in the kingdom of God and every other law submits to it.

I recognize how the minute someone mentions the word “law” hyper-grace fanatics scream, “I’m not under the law! Jesus fulfilled the law for me, and I am now under grace!” Child, you’ve always been under grace, you just didn’t know it. Let me show you how.

At the end of Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia, he makes the follow claim:

Gal 6:7-9 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (9) And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

My short response to this passage is: Karma is a bitch – but grace! It matters not whether you call it sowing and reaping, cause and effect, paying the piper, karma, or the secret, it is a universal law of not only this natural world, which no one escapes from, but it a spiritual law too. To think you can, is what Paul describes as “mocking God,” or thumbing your nose at Him. This universal law is only superseded by the law of grace.

In the opening soliloquy to the fourth gospel, we overhear how grace came by Jesus. So, consider on the fourth day after the crucifixion of Jesus, was the law of sowing and reaping still in effect upon all? You know this to be true. Do you think that every person who had a part to play in the death of this innocent man, upon hearing of his resurrection, suddenly experience the dreadful crisis of a consciousness which knew how reaping from their acts would play out? Consider how many people, now faced with the evidence of one who truly was the son of God, are going to expect God to appear before them and carry out divine judgement. How many hours, and even days, did they cower in fear of the imagined retribution which a crowd, led by Jesus, might also justly inflict upon them? Karma, baby!

But grace!

My focus in this series has been in trying to delineate how grace is a matter of the spirit realm first and the material realm second. Many have been led to believe the opposite which claims grace just magically appeared with Jesus and its only function is to fix our screwed-up lives. The truthful part of this belief is that our lives are screwed up. The rest is simply a story, a means to soothe a troubled mind. This story is just an inkling as to what this series is trying to chop and hack away at.

Along this line, if I am going to hack, I might as well provide you with my present understanding of the bible in its format and interpretation. Genesis opens with the creation story told from the perspective of God. Beginning at Genesis 2:4, the reader is unwittingly confronted with a second creation story. Biblical scholars all agree how the writers for these two stories are different both in perspective, language, and syntax, so I’m not going to go into this if you’re feathers are all ruffled. Go do the research, just like I did, and determine for yourself. But allow me to offer you something to chew on.

The first creation story has God creating the universe and all that inhabits it over the course of six “days.” On five occasions He declares that the work which was done was “good” and on the final act of creation, which was the formation of the man and the woman in His image and likeness, He proclaimed that everything was “very good.” Please take note how the mandate of mankind’s dominion over the works of God was included in the last creation event which makes this mandate also “very good.”

In the second creation narrative, the “fallen man” perspective takes root in the writings which will follow throughout most of the rest of the biblical narrative. For those of you who doubt my claim consider how in this second creation story, God forms the man and then places him in a walled garden (the meaning of the name “Eden”) which is separated from the rest of the world. If, according to the first creation story, everything was declared “good” by God, why take the man out of the good world and place him into a secured garden? Before you answer me, consider the purpose of the tree in the middle of this garden. Are you going to believe that a tree of the knowledge of good AND EVIL is “very good?”

If you are unable to deal with just these two items in the opening of the bible, then you are going to have compounded troubles going through the rest of the writings. Understand, I am not offering a new doctrine or dogma for you rally around. These are questions which have been debated and studied throughout all the history of the writings, Hebrew and Greek alike. If you question my claims as being valid, why do you not question the validity of those who have offered their claims which you have built your faith upon? Caution on your part is due right now if you are about to claim what your faith is built upon if the claim has not been by your own study, but solely upon what you were told to recite.

So where does this leave me in this mix. I believe in the first creation story as being what God accomplished. It is a true depiction of the kingdom of God in action and the standard of what we are to live under, a standard of everything being “good” to “very good.” I believe the second creation story reflects the mortality of man trying to explain how they blew the best thing they had and how their subconscious toiled in the loss of being in absolute communion with the Supreme Consciousness. All the Hebrew writings which follow are simply a remix of the second creation story. There are moments of inspiration which harken back to the first creation story and they help further define the kingdom of God for us, but most of it is merely an exercise in futile redundancy.

Then comes the fourth Gospel. An anthem to how the kingdom of God is not of this world but is readily available for human participation. Even with the three previous gospels which act as the battering ram to a calcified mind seeking communion with God, the fourth gospel sits as a pinnacle to all the writings prior. Each of the three prior gospel writers make their attempt to bridge the chasm between the kingdom of God and the kingdom made of man. However, each is trying to fit the Jesus story into the second creation narrative. The fourth gospel takes us on a spiritual journey in this worldly realm and reaffirms the original intent of God with creation: “…that they may be one as we are one…”

The letters which follow the fourth gospel are highlighted by the purest revelation of a Divine Consciousness ever recorded as experienced through Saul/Paul. These writings unfold the divine nature each of us have always possessed and which continues to be revealed in us. The letter to the people of Galatia should forever be seen as the ax which severs the root of the second creation story from the psyche of all humanity. Then the letters to the people of Ephesus and Colosse need to be emblazoned as a fiery brand upon the thoughts of all of us of what the “mind of Christ” is solely focused upon which ultimately is announced to the world in the letter to the people of Philippi, “…it’s not I that lives, but Christ who lives in me…”

What unfolds within each of these “new” writings is the discovery of grace. What may have been described as “loving kindness” in the old writings evolved into a new language which was more relatable to a broader populace, people who were not familiar to the customs and rituals of a second creation story.

Today, the evolution of language can force us to redefine “grace” to fit our social conventions rather than to recognize it as the medium of exchange between what the kingdom of man is not and what the kingdom of God has always been. Regrettably, the only way you can often define something “unseen” is by contrasting it with what is evident. This unfortunately puts more validity in what is seen then in what is not. Faith, thereby, suffers consequently. A kingdom, grace, even faith is unseen. Yet, the suffering that occurs is only in the minds of those who know not the divine consciousness they already possess.

As I step into the next part of this series I am trusting that you will be able to recognize how a new revelation which is often tied to a manner of communication which takes a while to unfold into a clear vista with new thoughts developed by new words and associations. Onward my friends.

“Who are you?!”

This is the first claim people will make against you as an attempt to invalidate the worth of your thoughts, words, deeds, or body. It is the oldest form of causing duality, which is manifested as doubt in yourself and the purposes you pursue. Just ask the first woman.

In my last post I described the moment when all of creation was eagerly waiting in the Christ to be announced into its symbiotic dance. All means all – nothing left out or forgotten. That means you and me, and all before us as well as all after us; it means everything we stand, sit or rest upon; it means all we consume, plant and harvest, raise, hunt and trawl for; it means all we create, develop and build with; and I could go on, but ALL means ALL.

ALL was, and is, in a vibratory-stasis envelope of the Christ consciousness in God. Before you jump ahead here, understand this one thing: God is not a Christian or any other religious identity we have attempted to foist upon him. I am merely employing the language of this religious pattern simply because it is what I am most familiar with. If your pattern is of another flavor, by all means, substitute where you deem it appropriate. ALL still means ALL regardless of the language convention employed.

Furthermore, I need to make the distinction here how when I employ the term “Christ” I am not using it as a modifier to Jesus. This may shock you, but God, Jesus, Christ, and Holy Spirit are distinct divisions of the Godhead. They are all one with each other. The introduction of the term “Christ” has a distinct historical point of reference we have pinned onto Jesus and it has attributes which the entirety of Christianity has been built around.

The New Testament writers have told us this is what we have post-Jesus. However, we had it pre-Jesus too. To have the mind, or consciousness, of Christ; or to have Christ in you, which is the hope of glory; or to confess that it is not I that lives but Christ who lives in me are simply eternal claims which we have never, ever, been without. Ever – as in eternal.

All right, I know that I just pricked and popped a theological boil you have lived with for years. The short answer to this issue can be found in the book of Ephesians, first chapter, with the phrase, “before the foundations of the world.” Pack your boil and go study it for yourself. I am moving on.

The Moses Code.

We know how Jesus is our kingdom archetype, however, what about those who came before him. Did any of them have an insight of their place within the kingdom of God as I have been describing so far? Yes, is the short answer. I would like to take a moment to look at one – Moses.

We all know the story, so I am not going to rehash it all over again. I simply want you to recall a specific moment in his journey. Having run away from Egypt after killing a royal guard, we find him in the wilderness herding sheep for his father-in-law. Long days, and nights just as long, with you and a few hundred sheep walking, grazing and standing. Plenty of time to contemplate the question, “Who are you?” in the bleating of the sheep and the wind flowing up the draw of the valley you’re traversing.

There are experts who will tell you how there is a type of shrub in the region that this journey occurred within which has the property of spontaneous combustion during days of extremely high temperatures. So, a burning bush might be cast under such an explanation, however, we are told in the Hebrew writings how the bush was never consumed, so let’s not give the experts all the credit they seek in this matter.

Then the Breath comes and announces that the place where Moses stands is holy ground, he will need to remove the death which clings to his feet. When you walk in death, how do you expect to be able to hear what life has to say? Can you ever expect to know your destiny and purpose when the death of those you have cared for become the protection you need to move to higher grounds or higher levels of consciousness?

After his commission to the tribe of Israel is revealed to him by The Divine Consciousness, Moses, just like us, is confronted with the ultimate question, “Who are you?” Pay close attention with what is about to be revealed. What you think you know may surprise you.

Is Moses part of “all the things” which were in Christ before the foundation of the world? Is Moses one with Christ, who is one with the Father, God? If each of these answers is true, would Moses have the mind of Christ as we recognize it today?

“I am that I am.”

We have all been taught how this is the name of God. Now I want you to consider for a moment what, according to this line, is the name of God. Is it the entire sentence? Obviously, using standard grammatical usage this would not work. “I am.” Is the placeholder for the name which is so sacred to the Hebrew people that they cannot even pronounce it to this day. However, during this moment in the life of Moses such a restriction wasn’t acting on his thoughts. Which brings us to the pause in this moment we have never seen but has always
been there.

Sidebar. Has there ever been a moment when you have pretended or acted as someone else? Has it ever occurred to you that this act might be the truth?

What we have here is a moment in the progression of human thought where a duality becomes a non-duality. The front half of this statement is a self-identification to the back end of a divine identification. “I am” – Moses; ”that I AM.” – God. Don’t be fooled here – Moses is not declaring himself to be God. In the midst of this mystical moment, he is coming into the mystery of what today we would call “Christ in you.”

If you take a moment to pause from your traditions, you might be able to see how this is precisely what Jesus was communicating to those around him in the fourth gospel with his seven “I Am” statements. Yes, Christian tradition has always presented Jesus as one of the members of the holy trinity. Yet even he was faced with the same pushback to his identity from the religious cult of his day when they accused him of trying to be like God. His response to them was directly from their writings out of the Psalms which said,

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psa 82:6)

The question before us is one of identity. The need to appear “humble” keeps all of us from admitting what God has always proclaimed, “You are gods.” This doesn’t mean that you are the supreme creator of all the universe. You are the creator of “your” universe, and I’ll probably need to address this aspect later on. For now, let’s just focus on your god-identity.

When God declares that we are gods, we must first recognize that a Spirit has deemed us to be spirit also, because we could not be children of the Most High unless we came from Him. Granted, most Christian teaching throughout history has portrayed us being adopted into the family of God. Yet, if we never left it, why would we need to be re-positioned in it through adoption?

Some have claimed how when we left our high estate in heaven by becoming mortal, in the transformation, we lost our spirituality and its identity. I would offer to you how if you are breathing the breath God gave, you are still spiritual, it just happens to be encased in a mortal shell.

Retaining your identity once in this shell, regrettably becomes a renewing about the mind which you’ve always possessed. However, this becomes difficult to nigh impossible during a lifetime simply because the mortal realm appears more real than what the un-seen spirit realm offers. It often requires a mystical experience, like the one Moses had at the burning bush; Peter had at the base of the mount of transfiguration; or Saul had on the road to Damascus, to open up our eyes to who we have always been.

Time to breath deep through your nose and slowly exhale through you mouth. Do it again. Repeat one more time.

I’ve offered a lot for some of you to consider. It’s possible that your storage shelf is getting a bit full but have faith that it is sturdy. A foundation like the one I’m uncovering is what Christ built for us. The pillars of grace set majestically upon it. I’m simply trying to get the debris of traditions cleared out so the sight of what lays about us can be fully appreciated. Onward friends!

In the last post, I laid out the basics of what the kingdom of God looks like. That was an introduction and I hope within this writing it can give us a little deeper appreciation and sense of awe into how this realm operates and functions. As I stated previously, some of the material which I am going to offer might not fit into your theological-round hole just the way you think it should. Again, take anything you question and put it on the shelf until the series is complete and then you can off-load what you placed there to your hearts content.

Let’s go back to the first creation story of Genesis. Everywhere in the eternal now, God, who is spirit, who as the ultimately Supreme Divine Consciousness “sits” on His throne. To his right, within His Christ, the ground of All Being, all things are being held together as one in eager anticipation of the creative decree which will release them into their symbiotic dance.

Stop for moment. Reread that entire paragraph again; I’ll wait. I need you to think, to contemplate about this for a few minutes. Close your eyes, if you need to, and picture what this is like. This is the kingdom of God in action. Consider how I am asking you to picture something in your mind which is occurring in the non-visible realm where spirit acts. Can you “see” it? No? Then can you “feel” it? No? How about can you “hear” it? Still no? Do you have any sense you can use to experience this? If you still don’t then explain how you are able to recite the verse from Psalms which says, “be still and know that I am God.”

Understand that I have not rebuked you. I am asking you to cast aside your “customs” at the border of His kingdom so that you might return to being spiritual.

In what is about to happen, you must release the concept you have of “suddenly.” Nothing “suddenly” happens in Now. Suddenly is an annexation of the eternal in time. God never acts suddenly; He is always now.

Focus and Breath.

Take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Do it again. Do it four more times.

Now, in those six breaths you took, God, through the Spirit, created everything seen and unseen. There wasn’t anything made which wasn’t made in those breaths. And all things in His Christ were announced and joyously placed within their field of all possibility and God decreed that is good.

Now, God, His Christ, and the Spirit, with Wisdom decreed that the heirs of the kingdom of God, male and female, shall be established as sovereigns over the works of God. The signate of this domain which all shall identify with is the very breath which gives life to impermanent matter. And it is very good.

Now – everything is very good.

The measure of your doubt in this claim is the distance you are from understanding the kingdom of God and the nature of grace.

Hopefully you recall from my first writing in this series that I spoke about the throne of grace. I stated that the term “grace” is a descriptor for what is witnessed in thought and actions of the sovereign who occupies the throne during the administration of kingdom business. Keeping this in your awareness, consider what you just experienced in that spiritual realm. Now, where, when, how, or even what was grace?

Here are few more questions for you to ponder:

1. Is the material creation a part of the kingdom of God? If so, what makes this possible? If not, what prevents it?
2. At any point in these events is there duality (a pair of opposites) present? If so, what are they and in which kingdom do they belong to.
3. Where was the model which the male and female were to follow in the dominion they received and how were they to follow it?

There may arise more questions in your consideration of these few I have offered. Feel free to explore them on your own or with others; or you can put them on the shelf with your other items. We are still working on our journey of understanding and I hope this is feeding you. Onward friends!

In the previous post I made the attempt to get you to recognize what the throne of grace represents. I don’t believe that many of you think that it is a piece of celestial furniture some where up there and out there far from the daily living we experience. Hopefully, I was able to convey how the term of “grace” associated with the throne is representative of what comes from the throne in thought and action. The last part of that post was bringing to the forefront how the kingdom of God is within you. Today, this is where I am going to park and describe the scenery.

Jesus is our kingdom archetype. He made numerous claims about the kingdom of God, or kingdom of heaven, throughout his time in this world. Since the majority of the world no longer functions from within a kingdom political system it is difficult for us to relate or even comprehend the implications of his sayings. Pile on top of this all the religious baggage the centuries have created and it’s a wonder anyone can decipher what Jesus really was trying to get across.

My intention herein is to break loose some of the basic principles as they apply to our study at hand. If you have an issue with how I do this, that is your concern and I respect you for it. I would ask that you keep those concerns up on a shelf until the entire study has been completed since I will be using some items frequently in varying situations to address particular insights. It might be possible how I use one element in one situation might not sit well with you but be safe in another. This is a process to understand a variety of facets which are intertwined so being quick to point out a difference of doctrinal matter may hamper the overall objective. So, let me begin.

When Jesus made the claim that the kingdom of God is within us, he was forcing us to understand how this is possible. When we hear the term “kingdom” there are a whole series of thoughts which flood our understanding of what “kingdom” means. None of these are wrong – they’re merely inappropriate for what Jesus meant. What do I mean?

Consider how most pictures of a “kingdom” we project into our mind are associated with vast swaths of land teeming with natural resources, livestock, treasuries of gold, silver, and precious jewels guarded by legions of highly trained military personnel all subservient to a sovereign ruler. Even in Jesus’ day this was the norm for how people visualized a kingdom of any kind. So, when Jesus makes a claim that the “kingdom” is within, the entirety of what passes for a kingdom is redefined rather than trying to take the norm and stuff it into your body like some magic trick.

You need to ask yourself, “What makes a kingdom?” The obvious answer is that it requires first a king. A kingdom only exists when a king is present; wherever the king goes, the kingdom is right there with him. A king and his kingdom cannot be in two or more different places at the same time. Where the border of a kingdom ends another kingdom begins. Think about the reality of crossing state lines, or even better, national borders. One “kingdom” stops, and another begins.

When you cross a national border, you are required to go through “customs” to enter into that different region. The “customs” of your prior state must now adapt to the “customs” of the area you are entering into. The language may be different; the monetary means might have a new form of exchange; the relationship you have with the ruling class becomes altered; the means of being fed and nourished can be vastly dissimilar. We recognize these conditions all around us and yet fail to apply the same to the kingdom of God.

What then is the kingdom of God? Jesus offered us many examples of this, each employing daily activities as the descriptor for his answer. Since we can’t relate to many of these, I am going to take a different path to open this up for you.

Consider how in the opening chapter of the Genesis narrative we discover how God claimed, “…Let us make man in our image and likeness…and God created he him; male and female created He them.” Each of us on the face of this planet are created in the image and likeness of God. The conundrum is that no two people look alike if we follow the nature of being in His image. I clearly don’t need to point out that you do not look like me even though we both are in His image.

Jesus made a couple of claims in the fourth gospel which I will relate to in this matter. The first claim was that He and the Father are one. In his last recorded prayer Jesus asked that we be one with the Father just as he is. Consider how if this was the last prayer, somehow, we became separated from the Father in some way which Jesus never encountered or at least overcame. Consider also how if we became separated from the Father, we became separated from Jesus, and we also became separated from each other. If you don’t think this is valid, what happens when you become one with the Father and I also become one with Him? Are we not also one with each other? There cannot be my “oneness” and also your “oneness” while they both are being one with Him.

When Pilate asked Jesus if he was a king, Jesus stated that his kingdom was not of this world. The kingdom of Jesus is one with the Father and neither the Father nor His kingdom in this oneness is of this world.

In the fourth chapter of the fourth gospel Jesus declares God is spirit. This is to counter all representations of God being of the “world” or of creation. Throughout history mankind has looked at creation and crafted items which are perishable to be a god to demonstrate their reverence of the creation. We still do it today; however, we fail to accept the truth, a spiritual truth, about the nature of God’s being.

God is spirit. We are made in His image and likeness, not of this world, but of His domain, the spirit realm. This is the realm of the kingdom of God, of the kingdom where Jesus is king. Our oneness with the Father, with Jesus, with each other is in this spirit realm. In this spirit realm is where we discover the throne of grace, the throne of God’s kingdom, which is within you. The spirit realm inside of you is the same spirit realm inside of me. The kingdom of God inside of you is the same kingdom inside of me.

Now I understand this might seem fundamental for many of you. However, how much of your energies are dealing with “worldly” matters trying to use spiritual principles? How many of your prayers are addressing the troubles surrounding “you” in this world? Just what is “you” in this world anyway?

Stop and take a deep breath and then slowly let it out. Do it again. Once more.

Truth comes from all directions when you’re able to recognize it. Jesus said that we would worship the Father in spirit and truth. What I am trying to do here is connect all the spiritual truth about the kingdom which resides within you so that the foundation of the three pillars of grace will not falter within you. We’re moving onward…

There are three distinct pillars which grace is founded upon. In this series I am going to demonstrate these pillars and how they operate in your life. My approach to this is not going to be some typical sermon format with three points, scriptures sources backed with commentary spanning across the religious landscape, and then personal examples to anchor the moment, finally followed by action points for you to follow over the course of the next week or month. Been there done that, and now I have a T-shirt which claims the price I suffered because of that format.

Let me start from my vantage point in this matter. To get you to understand this material in the same manner as I do, let me begin with the fundamentals. I do not care what you have read about the subject; been told by your parents or grandparents; what a “man of the cloth” told you in an attempt to teach you a lesson, or anything else you have stumbled upon. Grace is your birthright, not a gift given only to sinners, or bestowed only on those who are holy enough to be in the realm of God. It belongs equally to you, as it does to me, as it does to everything in this, and every other galaxy. Take a moment to contemplate this. Don’t try to poke holes in it with some form of logical thinking. This is an eternal truth which has never changed – period.

In the book of Hebrews, the New Testament writer makes a scandalous proclamation that we are to “…boldly come to the throne of grace…” If you know anything about the protocol of functioning within the realm of a kingdom, any kingdom, no one EVER boldly approaches a sovereign sitting on the throne. Such actions always produce the last thing you want – the complete loss of access, either by censure, expulsion or death!

We, however, are encouraged to pursue this course of action! By what right can we be assured of success in our approach? The right of birth. In a kingdom only the royal family has the luxury of being able to boldly come before the sovereign sitting on the throne. This is the scandal of the proclamation: No one ever thinks of themselves of being family. We’ve been conditioned to think that if we do some thing “good” we will be accepted and able to approach the throne – but only as a pauper, meek and humble, just a little better than all the lowly creatures we associate ourselves with on a daily basis.

This sounds weird, right? Who even thinks like this in our day and age? This is the language of some far off, long forgotten ancestry. Kings, thrones, royal families – preposterous! Face it, today we believe everyone is equal, right? There is no hierarchy within the world population, right? Right? Sure, we’ve had our experiences with the grand political schemes of communism, socialism, even democracy, and while they offered the hope of equality of the masses, it didn’t always manifest in the light as we hoped it would. And surely, no one ever held onto the audacious notion that they could go to the seat of power and have unhindered access to the person in charge in any of these social experiments.

Let’s consider how it might be possible that the language of our ancient ancestry is the accurate depiction for a realm we all long to inhabit. What if our most recent adventures in communal organizational systems were crude attempts to construct a domain we intuitively knew existed in our heart but couldn’t see with our eyes? What if the flaw within each system we have attempted was simply the inability to recognize how all were, and are, of the same family with equal access granted by birth?

More than a chair.

When you sit in your car driving to some destination, have you ever thought how the driver seat today is merely an evolution of a throne? Consider how when you’re sitting behind that wheel, you are the king of the road, right? People need to get out of your way when you’re moving. Your actions take top priority and if you think someone is going too slow, you’re going to make sure that they either get over or you’re going to invade their space. You’re the sole person who is able to determine what is acceptable speed for your vehicle and for those who even dare pass you! There is an authority to sitting in that seat which you can’t even begin to properly communicate about – even to those teens who you have to train up into the sanctity of the kingdom of the road.

How many of your friends know it’s you when you drive up in your car? What happens when you approach them in a different vehicle? Do they first recognize you or the vehicle you’re driving? Have you ever just sat in your parked car and watched the reactions of your friends in the distance as you never moved out of the car? Have you ever pulled up behind a car that you thought was your friend’s, honked your horn to get their attention only to discover that it was a stranger? What did you perceive that made you to take those actions, even errant ones?

These questions are attempting to get you prepared for the throne of grace. We all know what a throne is – we use it almost once a day, right? However, that throne has a unique purpose and description which almost everyone understands. Walk into a house for the first time and everyone wants to know where the “throne room” is located. Applying the same sense of urgency, consider what the “throne of grace” represents.

Certainly, a throne is simply a chair. A place to sit, relax, enjoy…or not. A place to administrate, dictate, and be the sovereign, supreme ruler and owner of everything surrounding the throne. In appearance, its construction may be simple like three branches acting as legs mortised into a plank of wood, or it may be ornate in its fashion with gold and jewels inset among elaborate filigree carved out of exotic woods. However, despite how it looks, it truly is the person who sits upon the chair, and their actions, which makes its importance relevant.

A “throne of grace” is a description of what proceeds from the seat in thought and action rather than its construction. Just as your friends recognize you in your car, we are supposed to recognize God as He functions from His throne. Those who do, agree that all they witness is a spectacle of what grace is like. You must recognize grace – not as you’ve been told, but as it emanates from the throne. But how do you do this?

Jesus, our kingdom archetype, told us that the first thing we must do is seek the kingdom of God. He also instructed us not to pay any attention to those who claim that the kingdom is over here or over there. In other words, you are not going to be able to see it with you eyes in any place those eyes look. Fortunately, he told us the reason for this too. The kingdom of God is within you.

Okay, take a deep breath in and then release it slowly. Do it again. Once more.

I just unpacked a lot of truth for you. Some of you I recognize how this might seem like nothing revelatory, while others of you are dazed and confused. Understand that I am building up to something which will demonstrate the pillars of grace, however I need you to recognize that a foundation must be laid. Some will know how the foundation looks while others will wonder where all the dirt piled up on the site comes from.

Today, you just got a look at the plan which has been unfolding before the foundation of the world. Its specifications are written in a language which our heart recognizes long before our brains decipher it. As we proceed, my hope is that the writings will blossom within and declare a glory we have only imagined possible. I hope you will stay attuned.

This is a rare post. We are entering 2021 having had to deal with the unimaginable reality of 2020. There was a time in my life when I would study the Hebrew scriptures and try to perceive what the prophetic meaning of the upcoming year was to be based upon a numeric value of the calendar date. However, it became apparent to me how this interpretation was cyclical, producing similar claims every 10 years. As I began posting my insights, I realized this prior type of yearly declaration would not provide the level of truth I desired others to consider and pursue into deeper levels of truth.

Presently, I do not comment on the yearly cycles we transverse simply because being eternal beings, I have come to realize how we function on an entirely different plane of what is a true reality. However, this is a time, prophetic in essence, when a voice of direction is needed, even sought for. While I don’t pretend to be this voice, I will offer some means of consolation to the times we are in and must navigate through.

2020 gave each of us a clear, accurate vision of the condition of the world and its institutions. Eyes opened as the facts of a matter no longer held primary relevance in determining truth, while the agenda narrative did. The church, the bastion of divine truth, folded up and scattered itself, and its authority, to the winds of the State. Who could have imagined how congregants of the faith would become lost souls simply because a Politian said they couldn’t meet?

An unseen enemy rose to the height of the ruler of the world’s actions. Through its minions, this microscopic despot created our ability to navigate in crowds, on planes, in our cars, in stores, at work, in our homes, and even in the outdoors where no one surrounds us. This agenda was accomplished through a massive campaign of fear – the fear of dying. By narrowly focusing the attention of the world upon the deaths of a very small minority of people who were mostly old and already dealing with advanced degenerated health matters, 99.9% of the world became docile marionettes in the hands of the events being experienced by the 0.1%

When a new conqueror vanquishes a realm, there are two items which must be administrated at the outset in order to secure the territory. The first move is to change the money, or how economies transact commerce. This is commonly accomplished by flooding the marketplace with vast amounts of fiat money while producing another form of currency which will become recognized as the default coinage of the new realm’s order. 2020 witnessed a flood of stimulus money enter the marketplace both at home and abroad while the rise of electronic currency dominated the world markets enough to concern the banking interests.

The second move is to change the customs and language of the culture. The “new normal” became the moniker for this transformation as all personal interactions were limited or simply canceled. Working from home, which for years has been the bane of how big business maintains control of its employees, now is acceptable and even promoted. “Essential” versus “non-essential” became the psychological equivalent to Russian roulette. Hygiene and masking became the spark on a dry tinder of raw nerves forced into isolation as one national holiday after another whimpered a faint muffled cry under the steamroller of governmental lockdown. Eating out became a reality, literally, when food establishments were only permitted to serve patrons outdoors. And church…well…

I will, as I have many times in the past, reiterate that I am a “grace” guy. Any offerings which I provide in this piece are presented from the perspective of the eternal realm of a kingdom founded upon grace. I recognize how this viewpoint is in many ways foreign to most of you, despite what your religious upbringing has been. Truth, however, will not be constrained by the traditions of man.

So, let me to begin with some the foundations most have forgotten or moved to the side as being “less vital.” First: God is. There has never been a moment, past, present or future when this truth hasn’t been. You, or anyone you know or have thought about, can run away from this truth. It does not matter whether any of you believe it or even like it, God is. End of your story.

This truth leads us into the realization that if God is, then God is omnipresent. God is everywhere, all the time, involved in every life. Understand, this Truth surpasses your perception of reality. At this very moment, God is present in all the matters which you are facing or concerned about. He is present even in the matters that you have no clue about or even want to hide from. In a world of over 7 billion people, with all their issues and concerns, the one thing which is persistently constant, is God is present, on the scene, never out of sight, right in the midst of the pain, suffering, sorrow, and yes, pleasure and happiness.

If God is all present, it naturally, and logically means that God is omniscient, or all knowing. You cannot hide from the Truth of which God knows about being in the midst of your stuff, or in the midst of those who you deem to be your adversary. The Designer is not someone who has ever abandoned the very creation He fashioned to display His glory. Events may not be what you desire to be happening in your life, and the feeling might be that God doesn’t know what you’re going through, but that is simply not the truth of the matter. Since God is all present, He is all knowing.

So here comes the real issue: Since God is all present and all-knowing in your life, why is it so messed up? Why doesn’t He do something, anything, to fix the matter? This is the conundrum of believing in a God who is omnipotent, or all powerful. Why are the pleas of my situation not being elevated and addressed above the pleas of my adversary? How do I get God to hear my cries and act upon them before those of the people who surround me?

So, having reiterated these foundational truths about God, let me ask you some questions for the new yearly cycle we find ourselves entering into.

What events have occurred which have led you to believe that God does not know what is happening?

What power or principality have you bent your knee to rather than submit yourself to the kingdom of God?

Is there a weapon you presently confront which is greater than the power of God?

What excuse are you frequently employing to counter, “Be still and know that I am God,” simply because you’re more informed?

In 2020 reality, as we each perceived it, came to a halt. The vast majority of people lost themselves in isolation and have no sure, firm sense of anything beyond this moment. As horrific as the past has been for all of us, the future does not look any better. So, this moment is all each of us have. This is a good thing to recognize because “Now” is the place where God resides and operates from.

Consider how 2020 forced you inside physically and mentally; outward distractions were removed; routines were altered; relationships were either strengthened or allowed to walk away. Throughout this, how many moved inward to be closer to God, to hear the still small voice and develop the awareness of their Christ nature?

It just might be possible that this is what the “new cycle” has always been about. You can make all the resolutions you want for the new year ahead, however, until you overcome your outdated notions of God and your oneness with Him, your “new cycle” is going to still be the hamster wheel you’ve been on. It produces a journey no amount of prayer can correct. It is time to be still.