Fully Alive: Living from the Original Sanctuary 

Even the most spectacular cathedral will pale in comparison to God’s creation of His own home in the hearts of man and woman. Before there was ever a physical tabernacle or temple, cathedral or church, God had designed a perfect place to commune with His beloved creation. Our hearts are His original sanctuary. 

Webster dictionaries define sanctuary as a “sacred place,” “a place of giving refuge or asylum,” “a private place” and “free of intrusion.”

Our hearts were intended to be a sanctuary, a sacred place, free from intrusion and “Yes”, the heart was intended to be a place of co-habitation. It is a place for two, a place of intimacy. When you go there, you can connect with God. With Him there is a perfect peace that passes all understanding. God’s plan and purpose have always been for you to live with a full heart and free to be you.

However, there is a battle that rages against this original sanctuary. The enemy has a well-developed strategy, custom made for each one of us. His steady stream of suggestions, thoughts, and images are relentless in their attack on the heart and mind of believers. The devil is full of daily doses of suggestions of fear, worry, performance, perfectionism, posing, abandonment, jealously, depression, pride, rejection and unspeakable trauma. 

For some of us, the battle started as little children because of indescribable traumas.  For others it was a slow daily dose that we swallowed hook line and sinker. It doesn’t matter where and how it started, it’s time to fight back.

We are only as sick as our secrets.  Our heart was never supposed to be secret but a sacred place. 

Today we get to explore the things in our heart that have squeezed out God from His dwelling place. Is it fear, depression, addiction, adultery, pride, unbelief or a combination of any or all of these? The truth is, it doesn’t matter what’s made its way into your heart as much as it matters that we realize it’s there. When we see it for what it is, call sin by its name, then we can do something about it. 

Three simple steps we use at elevateHim to identify the lie and make an exchange for His truth.

Confess: Confess your sin to God. There’s nothing you can tell Him that He doesn’t already know but when we confess, we are acknowledging the part we’ve played in it. 

Repent: We don’t repent to be forgiven; Jesus took care of that on the cross. We repent because we ARE forgiven. Repent simply means to turn away from the things that don’t represent our love for God and His heart for us. 

Pray: Tell God what’s on your heart, your need for Him and that you trust Him to do what only He can do. Remember, prayer is a relational conversation with the God who loves you.

As you confess, repent and pray that you choose to walk into the light instead of being defeated by darkness. Your heart is the home of your God. He delights in you, loves you just as you are and longs for you to live in the freedom that comes when you lay down sin and lean into Him.