“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

It was not the Walmart coat she wore that made people turn their heads when she walked by. Nor was it the way she had fixed her hair that frosty morning. It wasn’t even the sky blue scarf she wore around her neck. Still, everyone saw it, everyone wanted it, yet no knew what they saw. Fran had something far more than human capabilities can produce. Fran had a brightness, a freshness, a certain magnetism, and people were drawn to it. Her face radiates an invisible light that eyes do not see. Moreover, those who think they know what it is that attracts them to her,  are not aware that they could see this particular light even with their eyes closed. Perhaps even more surprising is that Fran doesn’t see it either, but she is cloaked in Light.

VISIBLE - TANGIBLE LIGHT

Perhaps more important is that the light indwelling Fran is not only visible, it is tangible - you can feel it, it has density, mass, volume, and it is alive. It is living light. Over the millennia many have wanted this “living light.” They have tried to buy it, they have tried to manufacture it, they have tried to imitate it, and when they found they could accomplish any of that - they tried to kill it. Little did they know that this tangible, eternal light is free, yet it is more costly than diamonds, more precious than gold, and incomprehensible in its nature.

So is it with you. As you stand here, you are being filled, indwelt, and cloaked with this very unusual light. In a very strange and wonderful manner, you have returned to the source of Light you were intended to have from the beginning. The full absorption does not happen instantly, but as you stand in this final Room of Mystery, Eternal Light and temporal man join and become one again. Timelessness and time somehow mingle together and you become an everlasting life.

THE HEAVEN AND EARTH CONNECTION

Somehow, you remember, you have no shoes on your feet and you can feel the dust of the Earth between your toes and even sense it falling softly around each foot. It is as if God has called the Earth to bare witness to this moment, this is why your feet are bare; Heaven and Earth touch through you. You are a connector between Heaven and Earth. Therefore, when you feel God, the Earth feels Him through you. This is what both of you were created for. Earth to help man, man to steward Earth; both revealing the Glory of God. This is, in essence, why Matters of the Earth are important to man.

You are beginning to understand so much more, being a light of the world is far more real and weightier than you previously thought. You are not yet “one” with the light and so it is still uncomfortable for you to look very long at the Light from the Mercy Seat. A far deeper realization permeates every cell in your body that it is by Grace you are here and through Mercy that you are still alive.

SUBCELLULAR UNDERSTANDING

As the Light enters you, you are aware of strange things happening in your body. It is as if you are coming apart at a cellular level. But, how do you know that? You discover that your awareness has infinitely increased. There is no feeling of pain, only total awareness of how you were created, awareness of every cell in your body, even awareness of sub-cellular and sub-atomic particles that Science hasn’t discovered yet. This Light is far more than Light, it is the Substance of Creation and in its entrance into you it is regenerating you. You are reconceived! You understand how you were created, but that memory will eclipse your understanding once you return to a more Earthly environment. That memory is for another time yet ahead - it will return then.

DISORIENTATION FROM HEAVENLY EVENTS

In your reconstitution, things seem a little dizzy now. The Cherubim woven in the covering thirty feet above you seem alive. Have they changed? Are they really there? This Final Room of Mystery is so different! The covering seems so high, far higher than it did in the First Room of Mystery. Perhaps it is only the smallness of the room that makes it seem so high. It is still twenty cubits high (or thirty feet)? None-the-less, that still makes it twice as tall as it is wide. As you continue to look around in AWE, you notice that the amber colored vapor of smoke is even more brilliant in color. And it is so thick in this room, it swirls as if wings of angels were fanning it. You also notice that the vapor of smoke seems just as thick at the top of the room as it is at the bottom. You cannot help but think, “Truly this is an unearthly environment,” and you so are thankful you have your feet on the ground.

When the Light of the Creator has completed It’s current task within you, you will radiate light at levels you have never imagined. You will need to know the truth and reality of that at a spiritual level once you leave this Light and go back into the darkness that fills the earth and the gross darkness that fills the people. It is there you will find the “Dark Night of the Spirit.”

We have more to cover before we fully address that topic.

Blessings,

John Paul

“In Your light we see light.” Psalms 36:9

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

Light is strange, you can feel its presence, but you cannot grasp it. You can see it, but most of it is invisible to the naked eye. Some light you can turn off and on, but the light you released is 186,000 miles away before you can even start the process of turning it off - thus light is impossible to retrieve.

To complicate matters even more, the light that you are now walking into is a different type of light than you have ever seen, felt, experienced, or walked in before. This light preceded Creation. Under this light plants grew before there was even a sun, moon, or stars. What? Yes, plants were created on day three, the Sun was not created until day four. As such it is the substance from which all matter, visible and invisible was made.

PARTICLES OF GOD

The substance of this light comes from the very particles of God - who is light. As you breathe it in and absorb it you are literally experiencing light at a creative level and becoming one with that light through God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). It is God revealing the fabric of Himself to you in a way you have never felt, known, or experienced before. This light is God’s Glory and from this light all His Glory exists. This light is the Creator of all things and here in this small room - right now - He is regenerating, recreating you.

ABSORBING AND RADIANCE

As you take the next few steps, before you can straighten up, you are being regenerated; life is flowing into you at unprecedented levels. When you leave this room you will radiate the light of God. To the measure you absorbed the light you will radiate the light. Those who hunger and thirst for Him will radiate the greatest amount of light. Hunger and thirst are two of the greatest light attractors. Those who are obedient and submissive will find they keep the light longer than others. To the degree you lose any of the afore mentioned, the light will dim. There are many dim lights in the world today; as a result one does not have to be a very bright light to be thought to be spiritually brilliant. Those whose light is dim are seen to have “darkened perceptions.”

THREE GOLD WALLS

You are now a few feet into the Holy Of Holies and you are still afraid to look up to the Mercy Seat where the Light radiates from. So you seize the moment to quickly glance around. The three walls before you are gold, only the Veil behind you is not. In the previous Room of Mystery, the Holy Place, only the two sidewalls were golden. Even with two walls of Gold, the Light was reflecting to the point of making your eyes uncomfortable, but here the Amberesque Light is blinding; at least it would be if it weren’t so healing. The Holiness of the light, and the pure gold all around you are overpowering. Golden, amberesque light is everywhere. There are no shadows in here - yes, it is the Holy of Holies. In His presence, all things are held together.

THE SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS

This living light has substance, it is life giving, and all problems melt away in His presence. There are no family problems, no financial problems, no health problems, in fact there are no problems - why? Because you have come face to face with the One who has all solutions, to every problem. God is not wondering what you should do next. He is never questioning why you did what you did - He is fully aware of why you did it. God is simply expressing to you that He knows what you need to do and anything you cannot do He is more than capable of doing. Every cell of your body feels His love. He is returning hope to you, soon that hope will turn into faith.

In the light of His love, you almost have enough courage to look toward the Ark of the Covenant. It too is covered with Gold.

Blessings,

John Paul

I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.  Eccl. 3:10-11

You now face the one thing that separates you from the Holy of Holies, which is the second Room of Mystery. You are more than likely ready to enter the next room by reaching down and picking up the hem of the bottom of the Veil, just as you lifted the curtain when you entered the Tabernacle and the screen as you entered the Sanctuary. Up to this point, you entered through each partition by your decision and your action. In other words, at each separating partition by an act of your will you chose to lift the curtain and walk through the opening before you. But, not this time, everything changes here.

THE ROOM

You might remember from previous posts that it was God who spoke the fire on the Altar of Incense into existence. This is the fire the priests were to never allow to go out.  It was from this fire that the Lampstand and the Bowl of incense on the Table of Showbread was lit. Both in creation and in the Holy Place of the Sanctuary God spoke light into existence.

In the same manner, God is about to do something else- He is about to lift the Veil,you are not to lift it. You do not come into the next room but by invitation. At this point, you cannot just lift the Veil and expect God to be there. We see and example of the same event take place with the Apostle John in Revelation chapter four; God opened a door (Veil) and invited John to come in/up.

ESSENTIAL WONDER

It is important to understand this in order to comprehend the fullness of why it is an “essential wonder” that it was God who tore the Veil in the Temple at the death of Jesus on the Cross. I’ll write more on that in another post, but just as it was with the Temple Veil, and with John on the Isle of Patmos, it is with you here. Entrance to the next room is by invitation only. Again I will deal with the tearing of the Veil later. However, if you do not grasp the un-torn Veil the deeper meaning of the torn Veil will escape you.

I hinted at God’s part in lifting the Veil in my last posting when I wrote, “Oh my! Something is happening to the Veil. I’d better go.” When the Veil is troubled or the littlest movement begins to take place, you do not want to be looking another direction. As the prophets wrote, I set my face like flint toward you and I shall not be moved.

REFLECTION

While you wait it would be good to take another look at your surroundings. Close your eyes and take a moment to remember. You are in a small room that is about fifteen feet wide and thirty feet deep. The cloth with Cherubim woven into it is thirty feet above you. Gold walls are to your right and left. The Table of Showbread is to your right (or North) and slightly behind you. The Lampstand is to your left (or South) and slightly behind you. The beautiful four colored Screened entrance to the Sanctuary is directly behind you.

The room has an Amber-esc color caused by the light of the Lampstand reflecting off the golden walls and refracting off the smoke in the air. This is truly a Room of Divinum Mysterium. The Next Room is very, very different and even more mysterious.

PREPARING FOR TRANSITION

When this Veil lifts and you step forward, you are leaving the second phase of Transition in the Three Dark Nights - you are leaving The Dark Night of the Soul. You now enter into a much more formidable time - of deep Spiritual learning. In this next Room of Mystery you will learn and witness that God, who is Spirit, rules over all things. Likewise, you will learn that your spirit, under God’s Spirit, rules over you and all you are.

GOD’S CREATION

You will begin to absorb that it is from here that God directs all of Creation, God’s Spirit in you now directs all of you. You are becoming one with Him. Thus, “Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done on Earth (Me) as it is in Heaven is not just a trite statement designed to take up space in your Bible. It is Transformation at the highest level possible on this side of Eternity. This is what Paul wrote about in First Corinthians II - deep spirituality is only accomplished through spirit to spirit communication. In this room you will become one with God’s Spirit of Understanding, Knowledge, and Wisdom.

Blessings,

John Paul

“To him who overcomes …”

TWO OTHER SPICES

There are two other spices listed as part of the five spices to be equally measured and blended together; those two are pure frankincense and salt.

Pure Frankincense - its Hebrew name is Levonah and it means, white light that whitens. It is symbolic for the purification of our sins. Remember, on the Table of Shewbread there was frankincense burning in a bowl on top of he bread. It has been found that burning frankincense helps to alleviate anxiety and depression. It also repels insects, as such it is thought that frankincense keeps spiritual pests away that are sent by the evil one to distract us from our goal of praying. On top of all of that, frankincense amplifies sound, so the prayers we make are in essence amplified. It was present both at the birth of Jesus, and the crucifixion of Jesus.

Salt - Scripture calls for the tempering of the spices. Tempering means to add salt. Salt heals the wound, kills the germs, and is a preservative. You, as the salt of the earth, do this every day. So in a manner of speaking you are offering all the good you have done back to God. Yes, I know it is the Holy Spirit flowing through and from you that does it all - nice religious answer, but God’s Spirit flows through and around you. This is one of the “ways of God.”

PERPETUAL PRAYER

Just as the incense was to perpetually burn, we are to walk in an “attitude of prayer not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” (Romans 12:11-12)

Each day the priest would chip off a small part of the block of compacted incense. He would then crush it to a fine powder and pour it over the hot coals on the Golden Altar in order to release the fragrant aroma inherent in the smoke.

BURNING COALS AND FIREY TRIALS

Burning coals, like fiery darts, represent the trials you face daily. Carry that thought one step further, and you see the heat from those coals of the moment release your prayers. Without heat, prayers are not released. In some mysterious way, crisis seems to drive you to God. In that search for God, you overcome that which sought to destroy you.

JESUS CONQUERED THE COALS TO ARISE

These coals represent the moment before Jesus ascended to the Father. Before He ascended, He first descended to the place of the coals (Sheol) and preached to those there the good news of who He was. He overcame the burning coals to rise to the Father. This is another reason why the smoke is such a sweet aroma to the Father, it also represents your overcoming the trials of this Earth that the enemy attempts to use to destroy your faith. Said another way - you have overcome!

ETERNAL TIME FRAMES

Notice, Jesus ascended to the Father before He did so on the Mountain in Matthew 28. How do you know that? Because, He told Mary not tot touch Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father. Then, a short time later, He allowed the women who were on their way to report to the others that He had risen from the dead to touch Him. In that short time span, Jesus had ascended to the Father and returned.

When one enters into the Eternal realm there is no time, thus God can send you back into this time at the same moment He took you. Eternally speaking, a thousand years in Eternity can take one earthly second. Said another way, a thousand years on earth is as a day with God.

Here are some Promises of God to you.

• “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7
• “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” Revelation 2:11
• “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” Revelation 2:17
• “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.” Revelation 2:26
• “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5
• “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God.” Revelation 3:12

Be encouraged!

Blessings,

John Paul

“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, …

He will teach us His ways,

And we shall walk in His paths.” Micah 4:2

The Smoke that is arising from the Altar of Incense and slowly filling this first Room of Mystery (the Holy Place) is very sweet in its aroma. As a reminder you are still within the first room within the Sanctuary. To those who are looking at the Sanctuary from the outside, it appears to be one tall and long tent and its height is why it is also referred to as the Mountain of the Lord. Yet, to those who dare to go deeper, like you, the mystery deepens as you soon learn there are two rooms beneath the four layers of covering over your head. Here, kneeling before the Altar of Incense, you are in the middle of that mountain and the Cherubim woven into the fabric above you seem to urge you to pray and to not give up.

It is this mountain, whether found in the Tabernacle of Moses, or the Tabernacle of David, that we learn of the ways of the Lord. Prayer is the foundation of learning His ways. No one promised the journey here would be easy, or safe. The learning curve has been steep, the lessons have been painful, and the process has been arduous. Yet, here you are, preparing and being prepared to meet God.

BI-FOCAL PREPARATION

Prayer is the central focus of this bi-focal preparation process. It prepares you to prepare yourself, and it prepares you in ways that you do not have the capability of accomplishing on your own. Why would God prepare you? Because, He does not want any one to perish. Further, He has promised to be close to those with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. So here you are, kneeling in humility, and submissively praying to the Creator of all things. Contrite people, humble people pray - in their desperation they have no choice; the proud and self-sufficient find no need to pray.

FIVE SPICES OF PRAYER

Your prayers will soon be composed of the five spices which are comprised of the five foundations of prayer. Five types of ingredients are being burned, five types of prayer are being prayed, all blended together in perfect balance as one in the smoke that ascends to the Father.

These five spices, like you, are all ground to a very fine powder. That is probably what you are feeling - you have been pulverized. Jesus calls this “falling on the Rock” and no one escapes it if you want to go to the next Room of Mystery, the Holy of Holies. Once finely ground the powder is compacted into a block of incense and each day the priest chips off some of the incense, regrinds it, and throws the fine powder onto the burning coals lying on top of the Golden Altar. So you see, the grinding process is not just a one time event, it is a daily experience. In fact, this process happen twice a day; once in the morning and again in the evening.

THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION

Only when the five spices touched the burning coals did the fragrance of the five arise. Just as Isaiah’s speech was purified when the burning coals touched his lips. Prayer, your prayers, will become purified and less carnal.

There are three Sweet spices in this compound - Stacte, Onycha, Galbanum. These three heal and restore the three parts of the Human being; one heals the Spirit, one heals the soul, one heals the body.

Stacte: Heals the Spirit - A gum that exudes in clumps called “tears” from the Stacte shrub.  These tears contain resin and benzoic acid and will dissolve in wine. It is generally considered to be the purest form of Myrh. Stacte have very unusual flowers that are shaped like snowflakes and are pure waxen white. The unusual anthers are a vivid orange color.

Hebrews 5:7 [Jesus] who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

Onycha: Heals the Flesh - Onycha, which means nail, and Gamaliel, whom the Apostle Paul studied under believed this to be a resin made from a desert plant. It has a ‘nail like shine’ and when prepared properly acts as a fixative and enhances the other ingredients in an incense mixture. It is highly aromatic and fragrant. It also has medicinal properties and is thought to evoke compassion for the sick. Thus, it represents the healing effect of prayer for the physical body.

Matthew 14:14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

The nail of Nail represents the words of Jesus,  ”this is My body which is broken for you.”

Galbanum: Heals the soul -This plant spontaneously produces a milky juice which, when dried, takes the form of a pale, waxy yellow-green gum resin called “tears” and its sweet acrid smoke was long employed to keep snakes and insects away. In humans it is found to be a sedative and known for its calming properties. It enhances the fragrance of that which it is mixed with.

Matthew 26:38 “Then He [Jesus] said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and pray with Me.”

So you see, the words of the Apostle Paul are significant here, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Thesalonians 5:23. The transition you have been going through is actually “Transforming” you into His likeness.

From this Transformation, your prayers arise to God. There is still more concerning the incense of prayer.

Blessings,

John Paul

“Let my prayer be set before You as incense …” Psa. 141:2

The sages say the swirling of the incense as it arises from the Golden Altar revolves around the thought that the smoke, as a representation of Spirit, is reviving, refining, extracting, and elevating sparks of Holiness and goodness deep within creation and ourselves. By the mere release of the fragrance, everything that it touches is changed. Like the Spirit of God, this Smokey incense, as it is breathed in, searches the deepest part of you and blows on the dimming sparks to present them to God as glowing embers. It is thought that God originally gave these sparks to us in an unrefined state so we would have a built-in need to find Him in order to complete ourselves.

As you breathe in this Smokey incense you are changed – and when you expel it, the world is changed. Further, as the fragrant smoke rises and God breathes it in, it is not only a sweet fragrance to His nostrils, but answers are released to your questions. In God’s inhale and exhale, His Kingdom comes closer to that which He made - you. Dust touching dust, spirit touching Spirit, all contained within one act of prayer. Prayer is far more important than we can imagine – at least at this present time.

5 TYPES OF PRAYER

The five types of prayer are covered in the Lord’s Prayer of Matthew 6. All prayer is to start with Adoration. I won’t belabor the Lord’s Prayer here, however, if you are interested you can learn more about some of its’ mysteries in my CD, “The Mysteries of the Lord’s Prayer.” Below are a few tips and reminders of what you more than likely already know. Yet, sometimes it is good to have the pen of another remind you of spiritual truths.

Adoration or Worship is a feeling of profound Awe, love and admiration and will always result in worship of that which is adored. Adoration caries the idea of recognizing the greatness of God in every way you can think of. It is the understanding that as you grow in that recognition, you will see so much more of Him to worship than you presently see. Thus, worship leads to the recognition of your finiteness in light of the infinite, supreme, grandeur found in His Names. It is the deepest revering or profound reverence for His names. It is the experience that there is no separation of His Name from His acts, nor any separation of His acts from His Glory. They are one, and mysteriously they are to be hallowed and revered.

Devotion is the profound dedication, consecration, and earnest attachment of you to God. Inherent in devotion is the unwavering belief that God will not fail. Thus, within devotion is also often found the declaration of the eventual victory of the cause. “Your Kingdom come,” is not a question, it is an imperative statement of victory. It is the supreme confidence that your life will be better because you follow the one who will win.

Intercession, which includes petition, is asking God to act on the behalf of another by removing something or adding something to them, or protecting them from something. It is the recognition of the pain or potential pain of another person or culture. It is the understanding that sin is an agent of deterioration and without prayer the whole of anything will decay. It is the knowledge that in praying the creator’s desire, He will recreate what has eroded through sin. It is the wisdom and insight that God restricts Himself to the will of man. Thus, without prayer, wills do not change, and the Kingdom advances slowly.

Supplication is a desperate pleading, or crying out to God. Supplication is found when your prayers turn into a cry. It is found when you can’t catch your breath because you are sobbing so hard. This level of weeping is often referred to as wailing. It carries the idea of bending down, bowing, or kneeling in absolute submission. Supplication is the deepest form of prayerful submission. It is the total conviction and dedication to “not my will, but Your will be done.” It is the knowing that there are forces greater than you, and without God’s help, you will succumb to temptation and evil will overpower all things.

Contemplation and its early form, meditation, is thoughtful observation, rumination, deep consideration, and concentration on spiritual matters. It is the growing awareness of the mystical eternality of God’s being. Contemplation begins with your efforts to meditate on His ways – its’ climax can only be achieved with God’s presence. God grants it as a gift; it cannot be earned, bought, formatted, or formulated to occur. But, when it does happen, time disappears and morning and night lose their place as signposts indicating time has passed. For a brief moment, space and time lose their relevance and you taste the Kingdom, the power, and the glory of the only wise God who has never “not existed.”

Keep praying!

Blessings,

John Paul

“Prayer does not change God, it changes man.”

Abraham Heschel

The focus of prayer is not prayer, it is God. You will come to understand that prayer does not necessarily make you feel at home in this universe, in fact it actually prepares you to no longer feel at home in this universe. Kneeling before this Golden Altar of Incense, you not only find it increasingly necessary to pray, you find you are actually beginning to long to pray.

PREPARING FOR ETERNITY

Your prayer does not have to be an hour in length, thirty minutes in length, or even ten minutes long. What is important is that you are actually thinking about prayer, thinking you should pray, and now longing to pray. The time you spend will take care of itself. The next Room of Mystery, the Holy of Holies, is all about Eternity. There is no time there. In that room you will meet He who inhabits Eternity (Isaiah 57:15)

THE WORDS YOU SPEAK

All true prayer begins with God placing thoughts in your mind about what to pray. He does this by and through His Holy Spirit. That transfer of thought comes only as to increase your focus on Him. The Holy Spirit, as you reach the focal point, enters your spirit and prayer comes forth. Think about this; did you know that all prayer begins with you taking a breath in. That is right, you inhale and there is a reason for that - it is symbolic and it is God’s way of telling you that His Spirit is entering you to help you pray. Only then do you utter back what you think are your words, but they are really His.

ANSWERED PRAYER

Answered prayer is the completion of a cycle; “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things …” Romans 11:36. In other words, Prayer is you returning to God what He desires you to pray. So He can give you your desire. That is why I wrote the words -  ‘true’ prayer. For all prayer is not true prayer. There is a lot of carnal, Earthly prayer being done today, but that is another post for another time. For now we will focus on ‘true’ prayer because that is where we all want to head toward.

INGREDIENTS OF PRAYER

There are five foundational types of prayer and five ingredients blended in perfect balance burning on the Altar before you. Yes, there are other types of prayer, but I believe they will fit within the parameters of these five. The five foundational prayers are Devotion, Adoration, Intercession, Supplication, and Contemplation. These five foundations of prayer correlate with the five spices that were perfectly balanced and blended together as the Incense that would burn on top of the Golden Altar of Incense.

The five spices that were burned and arose to God as a “sweet fragrance” were Stacte, Onycha, Galbanum, Frankincense, and Salt. The aromas of the first three of these are naturally sweet. The aroma of the last two, Frankincense and salt are not sweet, but when blended with the other three they become sweet. Like so many things in your life there times when what seems bitter in itself, becomes sweet in light of the whole.

THY KINGDOM COME

Prayer, links God with this world - prayer links God to you. When you pray you expand His presence in both. Prayer is then the first way to bring God’s Kingdom to Earth as it is in Heaven and in a way also brings you into Heaven - even if for only a moment the constraints of time are lost and Eternity is found.

Thus, as Heschel also said and you will find, “God is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance.”

True Prayer reveals His supremacy to your heart - it can be found in no other way.

Blessings,

John Paul

THE COAL OF TRANSFORMATION

It is impossible for you to accomplish the subordination of your soul to your spirit, so you can end the Dark Night of the Soul, without God  touching you in some way. Yet, here, at this point in your journey that is precisely what is required of you.  You are being asked to do something impossible - at least impossible without His touch. Thus, this moment almost forces you to reach out in desperation to Him. That desperation is exactly what God longs to see. It is what allows the transition you have been going through to become the transformation into a new person in Christ.

AGENDAS PLAY A ROLE

Sadly, we all, including you, ignorantly, without a speck of insight, speak words that are filled with your own motives and agendas. You think in terms that serve your own purposes. You make decisions that are for your own good with little thought of the consequences those decisions might have on others. To complicate matters, in those times when God is intensely present, you think He is actually there to comfort you or to help you accomplish your own desires.

YOUR WILL - HIS WILL?

Yes, God is present to help you in your time of need, but He is far from being a God whose focus is on your comfort. One quick tour of Scripture should convince you that you are here for His purpose; He is not here for yours. You are to find His will; He is not to find yours. In other words, it is His Kingdom come and His will be done that you pray for - not yours.

To make matters even more disquieting, if you have any inkling of being called to some level of ministry, forget the idea of comfort. Comfort has little to do with the advancement of the Kingdom. Why? Because, here at the Altar of incense you learn to live your life for others and that can be very uncomfortable. However, in all actuality it really is the quickest way to weaken the soul.

BEYOND YOUR ABILITIES

The coal that touched the lips of Isaiah was and is an intervention of God beyond your own capabilities. It was the purity of God being revealed. The little you truly know of God has been revealed to you by God. If God does not reveal Himself, you will tend to construct your own definition of who He is and what He looks like. The Golden Calf in the wilderness is proof enough of that. The desperate in heart will always see God reveal Himself to them.

PURIFIED SPEECH

Isaiah was a priest, a servant of God, yet he could not accomplish what was needed to take himself further. He needed the outside of time touch of God to change him on the inside and it started with his lips and what he had been saying. Perhaps God was saying, Stop thinking and praying for you and start praying and thinking about others.

Here is the last step before going into the Veil and Door Posts of the Holy of Holies. Like it or not, before you enter here, you will be transformed. Don’t worry, you are already well on the way to that point. Soon, your daily life will become steeped in prayer.  That prayer will shift from intrinsic to extrinsic focus. But that is another posting.

Blessings,

John Paul Jackson

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.” Isaiah 6:6

The Altar that you are kneeling before is a small (1 cubit X 1 cubit X 2cubit –or- 18 inches X 18 inches X 36 inches). Yet, it is an amazing piece of furniture. As is each piece of furniture in the Sanctuary, this Altar is covered with gold. This gold, is differentiated from the brass pieces of furniture in the outer court in so much as Gold is God created, while brass is man made

THE REFINER’S PURITY
In parallel, all the pieces of golden furniture represent a touch of something from God to you and from that touch of God, you then offer something back to God. You are not pure enough to give God anything – all your own efforts are in essence brass. But, gold, created by God is pure, and as such it represents God’s holy nature. Holy, not only in all He does, but also Holy in how He deals with you.

THE COAL OF ISAIAH
The coal, from the Altar, that touched Isaiah’s lips was from the coals burning on this Altar of Incense. Just as Isaiah encountered this Altar, at some point in time, you encounter this Altar. Here you are thinking you are doing God a service – you pray, you serve, you believe – yet God has something totally different in mind. That something is found in His unique touch. Yes, it was an angel that touched Isaiah with the coal, but it was done at God’s bidding and remember the Scriptures refer to angels as being holy. At some point you will have to be touched as well.

Why did Isaiah’s lips have to be touched with a coal of Fire? To purify them so when Isaiah prayed he would not pray anything of his own agenda or opinion. You might remember, prayer is spoken at every one of the seven pieces of furniture in the entire Tabernacle. But, here at the Altar of Incense, prayer is not only offered to purity ourselves, but more importantly it is for the sake of others. Isaiah was to “stand in the gap” and pray for others. But, before he could, his own agendas and thoughts had to change.

PRAYER AND JUSTICE
This is the beginning of the equity of Justice being prayerfully requested on the behalf of others. This moment is to be the finality of soulish, self-service and the beginning of prayerful service for others. You cannot enter the next Room of Mystery in your current condition – you are currently far too selfish to stand in the midst of a Holy God who in  His extreme selflessness crucified His son so you might have everlasting life.

Therefore God will touch you because, God’s justice cannot be prayed if we have our own opinions about how Justice has to be administrated and/or fulfilled.

HOW LONG?
The Dark night of the Soul ends when you pray for others without your own opinions and thoughts entering in. How long does the Dark Night of the Soul last – as long as it takes to burn up your own thoughts, opinions, and agendas.

Blessings,
John Paul

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. … do not use vain repetitions … For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:6-8

The Altar of Incense, which is also the Golden Altar is all that stands between you and the Veil or the entering into the final Room f Mystery. Why prayer is so important in the grand scheme of things is deeply puzzling. It’s almost as if God knows what you need, yet He requires you to ask so He is justified in giving you what you ask. To make the matter even more complex, He places the very matter that you need to request of Him into your heart and mind so you are insured of asking Him what He longs to give you.

REWARDS AND VAIN REPETITIONS
Thus to use vain repetitions is empty prayer. The repetitive nature of this type of prayer places your thoughts or your will above His will. This type of prayer indicates that you believe God has to be coerced into responding to you. Yet, think about it. If God already knows what you need before you ask, then He must be paying attention to you. Attention is a form of love  - therefore the reasoning of God is that true prayer deserves a response. Perhaps you will receive even more than a response – yes, as Jesus said, “a reward.” To pray then, is so important to God that He promises you a reward for doing so.

That reward is more than an answer to your prayer, it is the reception of a greater measure of faith. It is amazing how much faith is generated when you see God answer your prayer. Each answered prayer then builds faith that God will answer your next prayer. Faith propels the actions of God on your behalf.

INCREASED MEASURES OF FAITH
Conversely, not to pray is a guarantee that you will experience a decreasing level of faith. To not pray will eventually play out in you becoming more critical, skeptical, and antagonistic. Additionally, you will eventually justify those feeling because you have first hand experience - God does not answer prayer. The result is that you will live a lifeless, boring, and fruitless existence; one in which you leap back and forth from one activity on to seeming endless activities looking for the thrill that only answered prayer can bring. We have a genetic and spiritual propensity to need the excitement that only comes when what we ask is answered, and in its fulfillment could only have been accomplished by a force greater than us – God.

THE SECRET PLACE OF PRAYER
Finally, the secret place we must enter into is equivalent to the very Room of Mystery, the Holy Place that you are standing in right now as you proceed forward on this journey through the Tabernacle. When Jesus said you are to enter into “your room” He was paralleling the secret place of prayer with the Holy Place in the Tabernacle. He was also paralleling the Secret Place of God from whence He will see you pray, as being the next Room of Mystery where the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat are located.

Perhaps it is becoming clear that prayer is so important to God that no one has consistent and continued access to Him without it.

Blessings,
John Paul