[encountering the chabod]

All schools try to make orientation day an exciting event that sets off a students academic career with excitement that they hope will carry on through the first semester. What they really hope to do is sustain you until homecoming and then reenergize you to keep you excited until the next break. What this fails to do is cause you to be excited about every day of classes. After all, who can really be all that excited about theories and regimens that are suggested for further study on a daily basis? Even Christian colleges and universities are not exempt from this.

Enter Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Never have I been so challenged nor felt the weightiness of the presence of God on a "Rules Day" at any school.

The day began with worship. An hour went by and it felt as though it were a moment. Forty-five minutes later the Spirit was still heavy on the worship. By the time all the introductions were made and Bill Johnson stood to speak, some people were unable to stand, others were unable to stop laughing. The power of God was so strong. There was no moment where the weight of God's glory was not felt. And today was the "rules day!" If today was like that, then tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next will just build on it. The excitement and expectation levels are electric! We will have more of God's presence and His glory.

As long as we have a pulse, we can handle more of God.

You know, I've often heard a story told about John Wesley and his experience with the weight of God's glory and how it washed over him in wave after wave after wave until he felt that he could no longer withstand the power of God. I want that experience, but instead, I want to get to that place where I feel like I will die, and just keep going. There's a certain boldness in Esther's words that we need to grab hold of. I go before the King and if I perish, I perish. Understanding that as we enter the presence of the King, we enter a place where if we are not right, we may perish. When the weightiness of the presence of God comes on us, we experience power in an amazing way. Sometimes it may cause us to feel that if it continues or progresses then we will die. But as long as we have a pulse, we can handle more of God. He will only give you as much of Him as you choose to handle. Will you push the boundaries set by others? Will you expand the borders you have imposed?

It's funny, we pray from here on earth to there in heaven in wailing and crying pleas, doing anything that we think needs to be done in order to get God to move. But in reality we need to be praying from where we are seated in heaven to where He is seated in heaven (since we are already seated with Him in heavenly places) and out of the realization of our authority there- because to be seated with Him does not mean "in the same room as," but "next to," we can speak to any situation here and expect correct results.

I am going before the King daily, I have not yet perished so I return because as long I breathe and have a pulse, I can handle more of Him and more of His glory!

(side note: during classes on wednesday, i opened my computer to take notes only to discover that my computer screen had so much gold dust on it that i could scarcely see through it. i had to continuously wipe off the screen to write, but after a certain point, note taking became futile and the guys sitting next to me started anointing each other with the gold dust! if this is happening on the second day of classes, and we move from glory to glory to glory, then the chabod of heaven- the weightiness of God's glory will intensify and we will soon experience incredible new things!!)