Christianity often preaches a “prosperity gospel”: “Believe in the Lord and you will receive all God’s blessings!” But what does it mean to be blessed? The book of Psalms begins with this word: “Blessed is the man” (Psa. 1:1). In the original Hebrew, the root for “blessed” means “to walk straight, advance, progress.” But this walking is not just a behavior; it’s a Person! And this Person has a territory in us. Thus, the meaning — or the experience — of being blessed is to let this Person, the Lord Himself, walk straight in us.
When we are first saved, the Lord enters into our spirit. In the beginning, the domain of our spirit is very small and weak, and the Lord doesn’t have much room to walk. But the more we touch Him, exercise our spirit, and live by our spirit, the Lord saturates and permeates us, advancing His territory, growing and expanding into our soul. However much we allow Him to gain territory in us defines our walk as a believer on this earth. This is God’s economy in motion within us. Over time, our thoughts, emotions, and choices start to change as a result of this Person gaining more and more of us each day. We become like Him and our soul is transformed, reflecting His divine thoughts, emotions, and choices.
As the Lord walks in us, expanding His territory from the inside out — from our spirit, to our soul, to our body — we, too, are walking in Him. The principle of our walk is simple: as He gains ground in us, our experience is that we enter into an ever deeper and closer relationship with our Lord. We start in Egypt, venture through the wilderness, and finally enter in to enjoy the good land promised to us. And today we can enjoy the fullness and reality of His domain not only within us individually, but among all the saints corporately as His builded church, the reality of the tabernacle today. In our churching, we experience the lived-out reality of being ushered — and ushering others! — through the outer court to the Holy Place and all the way into the most intimate chambers of our Lord, the Holy of Holies. It is here we become one with Him in all we are, all we do, all we think, all we feel, all we choose.
Romans 12:2 tells us that our transformation begins with the renewing of our mind, and that with a renewed mind we are able to see and discern what the Lord’s will is. Setting our mind on the spirit, having our mind renewed, and being conformed to His image are all for fulfilling the Lord’s will: that His body can be lived out and that His bride can be made ready. One day, even our bodies will be transfigured so that we completely match and fulfill Him as His counterpart. Saints, our goal is clear! God’s economy is in motion within us and among us — this is what all our time, energy, and being is meant for! What a blessed life!
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 10/6/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)