Worship

“Ancient Gates” by Brooke Ligertwood

Scripture

“One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” -Ephesians 4:6 (ESV)

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” -Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV)

Understanding Our Position Through Scripture

A few days before Christmas, the Lord awakened me with a succession of thoughts central to prepositions in Scripture. He began to remind me of my location and position in Christ. I didn’t fully understand the reason He was showing this to me on this particular morning but my heart took a journey with Him.

This is what I penned in my journal by the counsel of the Spirit:

I need you to realize how connected you are to Me—everything about you is in proximity to Me. I surround you, and you are in Me and I in you. Everything about you originates in Me; this is where you find your being, your truest sense of self. To find any sense of fulfillment outside of Me is temporary and in vain; it is a momentary pleasure. But the fullness of Myself is poured into you by My Spirit. I in you and you in Me. I love you so deeply, I can never let you go, even when you sin. We are forever connected. You sit with Me in heavenly places. I go before you and subdue armies that advance against you. I want you to see yourself so deeply woven into who I am. We are inseparable, you and Me. Please hear me speak this to you: you are Mine forever. I want you to really understand the essence of who you are in Me and who I am in you.

The Power of Prepositions in Scripture

A preposition shows direction, location, or time. Here’s the definition from Walden University: “A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object.” Some very common prepositions are “by,” “for,” “from,” “in,” “of,” “on,” “to,” “with,” “through,” “into,” and “under.”

As we launch into 2023, it’s the desire of the One who loves you to let you know your position in relation to you being in Christ and Him in you. You are firmly anchored, eternally positioned, deeply rooted, and intimately connected to your Father through Christ Jesus. It’s the safest place you can live and remain. Nothing can snatch you from this position. It is secure, and this is where you find your true source of life. Jesus is the Lover of your soul, the Creator of all of life, and the One who holds it all together.

“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it / Prone to leave the God I love / Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it / Seal it for Thy courts above.” -Sam Ock, “Come Thou Font”

There is going to come a time when many will fall away from their faith in Jesus. Oh Lord, let it not be one of us. May you and I be part of the remnant who remain and partner with Christ until His great and glorious return. Let the following prepositional truths of your location in Christ anchor you, hold you, and speak the truth of your firm foundation in Christ Jesus to you today.

Scripture’s Positional Truth Through Prepositions

By: “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” -Ephesians 2:22

For:  “ … in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” -Ephesians 1:12

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” -Philippians 1:21

From: “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” -Romans 11:36

In: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” -Ephesians 1:4

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace … .” -Ephesians 1:7

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him … .” -Colossians 1:19

Of: “… and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” -Ephesians 3:19

“… to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” -Ephesians 1:6

On: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.” -1 Corinthians 15:1

To: “… to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” -Ephesians 3:21

With: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” -Ephesians 2:4-5

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” -Ephesians 2:6-7

Through: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ … .” -Romans 5:1

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God … .” -Ephesians 2:8

“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” -Ephesians 2:18

“ … filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” -Philippians 1:11

Into: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” -Romans 5:5

Under: “… to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” -Ephesians 1:10

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” -Ephesians 1:22-23

A Prayer for Spiritual Groundedness

Let me share more from what the Holy Spirit placed on my heart:

Your perspective on life and the world originates in Me. I am your source of, in, at, over, under, before, behind, through, until, to, with, by, and from—all of Me in all of these for you, for your life and for My glory. It’s a truth so deep you can never reach the bottom of it. For all of eternity you will be swimming and soaring in the depths and heights of this extravagant truth. Let this heal your heart or the places that feel so devoid of Me. The truth is that I am in all of them. My love wraps around you so tightly. You are Mine, and nothing will ever change that. There’s nothing you can do to remove My love and commitment from you and to you.

As we step into 2023, let’s ask the Lord together to prepare us on the foundation of this truth—our unmovable location in proximity to Christ. All the fullness and abundance we walk in is in direct relation to Christ in us, regardless of our performance. You are firmly anchored in Christ Jesus no matter what comes at us in 2023. He is your rock and firm foundation!

So Jesus, we take our stand upon these great prepositional truths. We choose to rest here and remain here. May we find our true source and reason for living upon our Rock. Anchor us firmly, and help us not to wander away from You when trials and pain ensue. I pray that we, Your remnant, would burn with a fire from the altar of Your presence, full of Your Spirit. Shore us up on every side until all we do is live and breathe and have our truest being in You. To God be the glory in and through each one of us in 2023!

See you in 2023 as we chase the Lover of our souls together!

• Are you asking the Lord for the word He is speaking over 2023 for you personally? Join us as we gather in Dallas with Me Ra Koh to listen to the Lord together for what He is speaking over this next year. Here is the link for more information and to sign up.
• My book, “Arise My Darling” has just been published in Spanish! Grab a copy for your friends, neighbors, or to pass kindness on to a stranger.