The final item in the “Holy Place”, the Golden Altar of Incense, was the tallest item in the room.
THERE IS A PATHWAY INTO HIS PRESENCE:
Within this first holy place there are three main objects: We are in the soulish realm now (relating to Man’s personality – body (Outer Court), soul (Holy Place), spirit (Holy of Holies)…
- The table bread – showbread (YOUR WILL)
- The lampstand (MIND)
- The golden altar of incense (EMOTIONS)
If you want to watch Paula’s powerful teaching on “The Tabernacle: The Golden Altar of Incense”– you can watch right here on Life Network For Women:
As I said, “The final item in the HOLY PLACE, the Golden Altar of Incense, was the tallest item in the room.” It was two cubits high, while everything else was one and a half cubits high. It had horns on top at each corner of the altar, and between the horns, a fire burned, but no sacrificial animal was burned in this time…
The only item placed in this fire was a special incense, created from a certain formula that was unlawful to ever be copied or used in any other situation but on the golden altar. In other words, the altar of incense represents the place of worship in the life of the believer.
There is a worship we give to God and God alone… We must never offer that worship to any other! That incense, which only belongs on the golden altar, which leads to the presence of God, is holy and sacred. Remember, we are still in the area that relates to the “soul of man.”
When we enter the Holy Place, we learned that God first deals with THE WILL (Table of Showbead), then the INTELLECT (The Lampstand), and now He is prepared to turn your emotions loose!
Emotion is “The capacity to feel, to experience.” The Word reveals to us in Hebrews 4:15 (NIV), “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.”
Some Believers are afraid to deal with or talk about our emotions in “religion.” This isn’t logical since emotions are such an essential part of man. Everyone has needs. As adults, we become completely responsible for identifying our own needs and for addressing them ourselves or arranging for those needs to be met.
To properly address those “needs”, God wants us to develop a “Healthy EQ” (emotional intelligence) in life! Your emotions are like the indicator lights in your car (gas is low, oil, tire pressure)… They are NOT the Engine, BUT they are indicators as to what’s happening with the engine.
Emotions are bodily energy changes usually resulting from some unaddressed need… We feel fear when our safety is threatened. We feel frustrated when our goal-directed behavior is blocked. The primary purpose of emotional energy is to provide us with the necessary power to get our needs addressed or fulfilled!
Feelings either flow naturally, like a river, or get dammed up! It is the nature of emotions to move. Like all inner experiences, emotions come from us, they are our response to the world around us… to our thoughts, beliefs and our own imaginings!
To better understand, let’s look at a familiar portion of scripture that we probably can relate to at some point found in Luke 15:11-32 (Focus: 25-32) (NIV):
“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12) The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13) “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14) After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15) So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16) He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17) “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20) So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21) “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22) “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23) Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24) For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25) “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26) So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27) ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28) “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29) But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30) But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31) “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32) But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
We like the story of the “prodigal son.” It’s a story with a happy ending. He had it ➔ lost it ➔ got it back again. The elder brother is where we glean what most of us will contend with in here… He is living with CONTRADICTIONS & CONFUSION, while living and serving in His “Father’s House.”
It’s a form of “hypocrisy!” If we will get real and honest, we must all admit that we have Had or Have HYPOCRISY… Not Because we are “bad” or “evil,” But AFRAID…
Emotions move through us when they are accepted or expressed. Your “emotions or feelings” belong to you! You have personal ownership. They are your response. We often say “so and so” made us angry… But no one or no thing on the outside can make us “feel anything.”
You respond to your own perception of the world. To be “human” is to have feelings. How we perceive life in general also determines HOW we feel…
If you lack emotional responsiveness, you cannot communicate what is going on with you.
Paula
If you want to watch Paula’s powerful teaching on “The Tabernacle: The Golden Altar of Incense” on Facebook, you can by clicking here.
