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becoming one, encouragement, entering his rest, entering the Kingdom of God, eternal life, experience, God our Father, God's love, Jesus Christ, joy, Oneness, prayer, promises, The Holy Spirit, the new self, the promised land
It was only lately that our Lord made me aware of numerous Scriptures, both in the Old and in the New Testament, that point us to a specific moment in time. It seems I usually read over this wording, thinking “in that day” would mean in the majority of cases a date far ahead of us in the future. I decided to focus on only three Scriptures from the Gospel of John here. What they have in common is that they all present God’s promises having been fulfilled in us.
Joh 14:20 “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (ESV)
Joh 16:23-24 “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (ESV)
Joh 16:26-27 “In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (ESV)
What day was Jesus speaking about? 🙄 Looking at the first Scripture, John, chapter 14, verse 20 describes a perfect oneness that can and will be experienced by us in our spirit being. Our inward man suddenly realizes just as Jesus and the Father are one, we are one with Christ, that is, He is in us and we are in Him as well. That might sound wonderful already, however, the story goes on! If we have been used to present our prayer requests to our Lord Jesus Christ who makes intercession on our behalf, we now discover that we can ask God, our Father, when a particular prayer request or a question comes to mind and … He answers them! 😊
The reason for God answering our prayers then is this particular oneness I mentioned before. Being one with God and Christ means we are governed by the Holy Spirit to whom we have submitted our self-will before. If we have died to our old nature’s desires with Christ in His cross by taking up our own crosses daily, we have become a truly new being, a spirit being that can be easily led by the Holy Spirit in whichever direction God chooses. Jesus encouraged us here, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” It appears to me that God who loves us cannot answer all our prayers or questions at any given time as He clearly sees we would turn away from (seeking) Him (and His will) as long our old nature is predominant. Subtly we might get puffed up when we have experienced something supernatural in our lives. As long as our self-focus is active, whether we are aware of it or not does not matter, God needs to keep us on a short leash, so to speak.
“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” Can it be that simple? You and I ask God something, whether it is a prayer or a question that bothered us for a long time already, we receive an answer, our prayer is answered shortly and therefore our joy increases with every additional request answered. While our joy is increasing, we somehow automatically turn away from our old ways of thinking and reasoning since we realize that in God’s person alone ALL questiions that could ever be asked are answered. Furthermore, He provides everything we might ever need because He is a loving Father! His presence is so breathtaking to our own spirit that our whole life on earth turns into a shadow of sorts, compared with His wonderful light, life, and love that keep drawing us further and further upward. I want to close this not-so-long article with Paul’s words in his letter to the Philippians.
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” (Phil 3:12-15 ESV)
All images by Susanne Schuberth 2018, 2020
Entering the Promised Land 
Susanne, thank you for sharing those wonderful verses from Jesus’ words. I had to read them again and again for they are deep. I was reading T. A. Sparks and He was pointing out that the Father is ours to have a personal relationship with if we are IN Christ as the Father is in Him. We who are living and walking in the Spirit are one with Him in all that we ask and do. His will is our will. It is no longer living like we are earthly orphans left behind to be alone because Jesus went to be with the Father. This is why Jesus called the Holy Spirit our Comforter. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to live lives inside the Holy of Holies of Heaven because it has been torn asunder by Christ’s death on the cross and there to enter in by the faith we have from God.
What does it mean to ask anything of the Father IN Jesus’ name? So often I have heard church people add on to the end of their request from God, “And we ask all these thing in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!” To ask anything in His name, J-E-S-U-S, is not some kind of magic incantation that God has to obey! The fact of the matter His moniker while He walked among the Jews was Yashua. To pray this way is all so shallow and worldly.
As I meditated on this I could see that we FIRST HAVE TO BE IN Christ in all that that relationship means. To be “IN Jesus’ name” is to be in His very person-hood and thus in ALL that HE is in the relationship with the Father. Here ALL that the Father wishes for Him and for us is the same for we are ONE with them. It is not to use “magic” words that get God to move according to our own fleshly desires. All three of the verses you shared are speaking of a believer’s relationship with the Father IN Christ in which we are “keeping that channel open” by being quick to listen to the Spirit and obey the will of the Father and confessing our faults when we miss it. Jesus’ words in this verse come to mind and they say it all,
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [the needs of our lives as human beings] will be added to you.” (Matt 6:33, ESV2011)
It is a matter of arranging our lives in the right order by having the mind of Christ within us. With God it is all about us living according to HIS good pleasure [living in HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness}, not the pleasures of our old natures. This is the very attitude of Jesus Himself (both here on earth and in heaven) the one who lives IN HIS name.
I am sure that there are even deeper things to be taught us in the verses you shared for the Word of God is infinite just as HE is. Holy Spirit, open the eyes of our hearts that we might see even as You see. Amen.
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Thank you so much for this particular response, Michael. 🕊️🙏🏼👍🏼
You are right, these Scriptures are VERY deep. There is nothing we could find out with the intellect only. If we have come to know Him, then the scales can fall from our eyes. And eternal joy and peace that are ours in Christ will increase as well.
What is funny, my brother, is the reason why this blog post turned out comparatively short. In fact, I had written a whole paragraph on the true meaning of “IN Jesus’ name” , i. e., being one with Him. Like you I had always been wondering about THIS being used as a phrase added to prayers in order to urge God to do what we see fit. I had even included the word ‘magic’, like you did. But God told me to delete this paragraph. That made me wonder as I knew it was the truth.
And then Michael comes along and explains the same thing very well. STST (same time, same thought) – one spirit, right? 🕊️👍🏼😇
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Yes, we have both written “in Jesus name” and thus are hearing the same voice of the Spirit at the same time. Not only that what we often write is a spiritual thread that fits “hand in glove.” We are experiencing what Paul wrote to the Corinthians…
“And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2Cor 3:3, ESV2011)
It is such a joy for me, Susanne, to be part of this living letter from the Holy Spirit with you.
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Wow, this Scripture fits like a glove, too! 🥇 Such a joy, indeed. What a fellowship we have been given by God, amazing!! 😇🙏🏼🕊️🙏🏼😇
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Yes Susanne it is truly amazing. “Eye has not seen nor ear has heard nor has it entered into the hearts of men those things which God has prepared for those who love him” ❤️
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Amen!! 🙏🏼❤️🕊️👍🏼
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Someone pointed out that God does not tell time the way we do, but rather He does so by eras.
Definition of era: a fixed point in time from which a series of years is reckoned.
Also, when Jesus said “In that day…” That day He is speaking of is the one in God’s time table we are living in. It started when the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in those who believe on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit would move on different vessels of God before that but up until then He never lived IN them. And that makes all the difference with the level of intimacy we enjoy with our Father today (in that day).
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I agree, Michael. 👍🏼 Additionally, I believe that THAT DAY must be experienced by everyone of us individually. Before that very day we might hope for something more of God in the future, but we do not know if, when, and how it happens. But when God finally opens the door, nobody will be able to shut it any more.
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So we’ll said, Susanne!!! And what an open door it is!!!
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Thanks, Michael! ☺️
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Susanne, the Spirit lead me to read this article of yours again this morning. As I read Jesus’ words, “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” All of a sudden He showed me something I missed before. It is when we really KNOW in our heart of hearts not only Jesus is in the Father, but KNOW that Jesus is IN us and we are IN Him… when this happens by divine revelation and we truly see with spiritual eyes our lives enveloped IN them and we have entered INTO That Day… the day of which Jesus is speaking, dwelling in heavenly places IN Christ Jesus in our Father’s seventh day of rest.
Also, it is here that we will ask those things that are on HIS heart as well as on our hearts because we are ONE with the Father and the Son. Because we are one the things we ask are according to their will and seeing them answered gives us great joy and our Father great joy to answer them. ❤ ❤ ❤
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Excellent, Michael! ⭐
Indeed, that day and entering His rest appear to be the same ‘thing’. At least, that has been my experience lately. He is the door through which we enter into Him and into His rest.
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Susanne, it occured to me that the Holy Spirit could not answer all our questions in one fell swoop. Even answering one question about His kingdom spread over time longer than our times here on earth. This is why it is such a delusion to think that we can get a degree in theology and a title to go with it that we have it all figured out. As Paul said, “If any man thinks he knows something let him know this, he knows nothing at all as he should.” When we think we know things. that is when we quit growing.
We both know that His is an upward call and that growth in the Spirit requires not only spiritual knowledge, but the accompanying trials to work His Truth into us as a heavenly reality. Also, His truth is many faceted in nature. What we had learned from reading a verse in the Bible ten years ago is not what He is showing us from the same verse today. As we grow into a thing He shows us, we are no longer the same person with the same perspective of God for His truths take hold in us and change us that we may grow to know Him more perfectly. Thus when He answers a question, especially about HIS kingdom, it is like a seed that keeps growing. This is what Paul was saying, “Not that I have yet attained… but I press on for the HIGH calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Yes, Paul was given a “high calling” right from the outset on the Damascus road, but He knew that the Jesus who confronted him was so big that in his lifetime he would never be able to encompass that infinite being and what it means to be IN Christ.
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I agree, Michael. We both know that real knowledge of God has to do with loving Him and being loved by Him as this Scripture reveals,
“If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” (1 Cor 8:2-3 ESV)
Here in this post I did not think of theological or biblical questions. Instead, I asked God things about my personal life, about trials, and similar things about which I was not so sure I had heard from Him rightly before. When He allows these questions to be raised in His presence, then He answers them as it was the Holy Spirit who nudged us to ask.
Moreover, God’s presence is so calming that our questions seem to disappear most of the time. That reminds me of the following Scripture,
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps 46:10 ESV)
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Susanne, in the context of what you said about asking Him questions, I agree. The closer we draw to Him the less questions we have, they all seem to melt away when we enter into HIS rest. As simplistic as it may sound, JESUS IS the answer as we abide IN Him. It is there that all our anxieties and tears fade away. In His presence His perfect love casts away all our fears (from where most of our questions come from). 🙂
The way my answer to your post was formed around questions that are raised as we read the Bible, maybe this shows I am still too “left brained?” Yes, I am still a work in progress.
“Not that I have yet attained,,,”
I appreciate where you are coming from in the things you share and how they are on a personal level and reflect your relationship with Jesus and the Father. Through you I keep hearing Him say to me, “Come up here and I will show you thing to come (in your eternal life In Christ).”
Michael
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In His presence His perfect love casts away all our fears (from where most of our questions come from). 🙂
That’s it!! 👍🏼 Very good insight, Michael! 🕊️💡⭐
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🙂 🕊️💡 The Spirit is our Light, for sure.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13, ESV2011)
Keep listening as you rest in Him, dear heart, ⭐
Michael
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This part just jumped right out on me, Michael,
“… whatever he hears he will speak…”
Like Jesus when He walked the earth. He only spoke His Father’s words! 😇🕊️👍🏼
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Thank you, Susanne, for sharing this. Like Father, like Son, like Spirit. Once again we see the godhead in complete unity. And as we read John 17:21-23 we see that the door is open for us to abide the same way IN Them as They abide in us. Our life is no longer in fallen Adam and his ways, but through the Spirit in us we are open to walk as Jesus did in complete unity with the Father of Lights. Wow! David wrote,
“Your word is a lamp [Heb. niyr – light] to my feet and a light [Heb. owr – luminary] to my path.” (Ps 119:105, ESV2011)
This “word” to David meant the text of the books of Moses, but in the NEW Covenant the Word of God is Jesus Christ. He is our Light that shows us where and how we should walk. It is significant that John begins His Gospel with,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… In him was life, and the life was the light of men.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5, ESV2011)
In both these passages we see WORD and LIGHT and how they work together to show us the way. How wonderfully the prophetic words of David and John fit together! I am so thankful that we have the witness of both testaments to point to us the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ, who is ours to walk in. If all our Bible were taken away from us (this has already happened in over half of the world) HE will still be there to be the Light unto our paths.
“What shall be separating us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? Affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? According as it is written that ‘On Thy account we are being put to death the whole day, We are reckoned as sheep for slaughter.’ Nay! in all these we are more than conquering through Him Who loves us.” (Rom 8:35-37, CLV)
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You are welcome, Michael. Thank you for sharing your insights, too.
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You’re welcome, my sister.👍
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🙏🏼🕊️👍🏼😇
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Pingback: What Does it Mean to Be Living “IN That Day” « A Wilderness Voice
Thanks for the pingback to my blog, Michael. 🙂
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You are welcome, Susanne. Thanks so much for listening to the Spirit and sharing what He is saying as a confirmation to what our Father is doing within us by His Word.
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You are very welcome, my dear brother.
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