Tiniest of Seeds
"He told me all that I ever did." - the Samaritan woman in John 4:39
Yes, life is messy and integration of Jesus and faith with life often doesn’t look like what we thought it was “supposed” to or think it "should" look like. Are we shocked? We are literally told by Jesus that this life is full of trials. Yet we as we show up we can heal and grow in ALL God promises. He has after all, overcome. We can too.
He saved me. I can’t say it more clearly than that. Yes, Jesus has proven to me to be the ultimate answer. Has it been easy? No. It’s been 25 years of a winding road that he has made straight. As I continue to walk it out, I can’t help but testify - and to talk with others in their own unique places on the discipleship road. How amazing.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
Tiniest of Seeds
Temple: He Exceeds All We Can Imagine, Unlocked in the Throne Room
This is the final episode of the Tiniest of Seeds podcast. It is with sadness but also conviction and joy that I close this season. I am sharing what the word TEMPLE means to me, and give a call and blessing to deeper rest and presence with the LORD. Mind, soul, body wholeness and all abundance is wrapped in this word. Thank you for listening.
Hello, my name is La Decker and this is the Tiniest of Seeds podcast, and this is my last episode, and you may or may not know that my twin sister, ottoman I, started this podcast a couple years ago as Breathe in Him and then, when we dissolved our business partnership, I continued as Tiniest of Seeds. It has been a part of a devotional project. My twin and I wrote a beautiful devotional together that has different topics pertaining to what it means to be a disciple of Christ in the body of believers, and the topic today I'm going to talk about is my final one and it feels fitting because it's the word temple and I had planned to do 40 full episodes. I'm actually going to be stopping shy of that because it's time and the Lord has kind of pried my fingers off of things over the past few years and it's time and it feels really fitting to me to stop on the word temple, because to me, this word temple embodies it all, because that is where we flow in that abundant life that is ours in Christ and it's the only way that we can walk as disciples of Christ. When we look at how Jesus lived, it all comes back to prayer and worship and the throne room.
Laurine Decker:The word temple it talks about in the Old Testament, the word tabernacle, and in fact the first filling of the Holy Spirit was for design of things, for the temple. That was where God dwelt among his people before the Holy Spirit was given because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Christ Jesus said it's better that I leave, because I'm going to leave my Holy Spirit within you. And we know, in 1 Corinthians, in both chapters 3 and 6, it talks about us being the temple of Christ, both collectively as the body of Christ and our own individual bodies being temples being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the presence of God ministering to us specifically and uniquely. And so you might be asking yourself what has changed, because I am stopping this now, and I was committed to see it through to 40 episodes and I was intent on a passion to open a Mind, soul, body Wellness Center for women in Tacoma. Some of you may know that, some of you may not. I felt deeply called to be a missionary to the local church, mutual minister, giving and receiving within the body of Christ, and that has been my passion and my heart's call for a long time, like 20 plus years, and it has not changed, but what that is going to look like walking out in the future for me has changed.
Laurine Decker:I, more than ever, am learning that trust and obedience is only possible within prayer and worship within that throne room. We know the veil was torn. We know that Christ tore that veil. It says we do not have a high priest that cannot sympathize with our weaknesses and we can boldly approach that throne of grace for mercy and grace in our time of need. We know that we have everything that we need for life and godliness. It tells us I believe it's in 2 Peter and that we can receive, right this very moment, everything that we need to walk with him. How do we do it? Well, we do it through remaining in the vine, receiving the ministry of the Spirit in the throne room.
Laurine Decker:Again coming back to that word temple, that word temple is so layered because we can't put it into human terms. The throne room of the Lord, god Most High is where that holy, holy, holy, lord, god Almighty, christ, in the center of the throne, the Lamb of God, jesus, who came to take away the sins of the world, who said it is finished, abba, father, it is finished, even as the Lord, god Most High Triune, god. God the Father, turned his face away because Jesus took on our sins for himself and conquered sin and death. And so we are told that we are new creatures in Christ. Behold, old things have passed away, all things have become new. How do we walk that out in this external realm while we do it in the throne room Again, coming back to temple, god first and others, the community of believers?
Laurine Decker:We are made for relationship, first of all with God and then with others. If there's anything that sets itself up against knowledge, any division, christ prayed in John 17, the high priestly prayer for unity among the believers. If there's any division keeping you from unity with other disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is not his will of people, humanity. It even says it clearly in the Bible in many places In the end times, people will want to have their ears tickled. There will be false pastors. There will be people that are posturing and actually under a religious pharisaical spirit, that are bringing judgment and pride that are not of the Lord rather than the pure truth of the gospel. The truth of the gospel is always what the kingdom of God, peace and love and joy in the spirit. The Lord, god most high is pure and holy. As we spend time in obedience, submission, surrender, receiving what he has won for us in the cross, we will naturally want to flow in unceasing prayer and worship to a greater and greater degree.
Laurine Decker:Am I, by any stretch of the imagination, perfect? No, but I can tell you he has saved me, he has delivered me. I'm learning more and more that I want to remain in that throne room. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. There is no condemnation. I continue to say that there's no condemnation in Christ Jesus. We're human.
Laurine Decker:Paul, the Apostle Paul in Romans, romans 6, 7, and 8. Read it if you haven't read it for a while. He's one of the greatest writers, most prolific letter writer in the New Testament, and he wrestled with his humanity to the point of saying I'm wretched, wretched man that I am. He's the one that also wrote Romans 12, 1, and 2, which I love. I submit myself and I beg you guys, submit yourselves as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to the Lord, which is your reasonable act of worship.
Laurine Decker:Don't be conformed. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How do we renew our minds? Through the practice of worship, in the word washed in his streams of living water so they can flow out. And so, if you are not in the word, if you're not practicing with his community of believers again, coming back to the temple, the throne room, the great cloud of witnesses, we are surrounded even now, held now. Eternal life is to know God and also, for eternity, jesus Christ coming again, ascending and descending. We can see his glory ascending and descending not only in him, but in us, in his temple. It is what he has proclaimed, and so I'm wrapping it up.
Laurine Decker:I'm going on to some new and different things. I'm learning to walk more boldly in the calling that he has given me Through the ministry of the body of Christ. I was so empowered and equipped at New Day, given a voice, learned to speak and sing, to be unashamed of the gospel of Christ, to internalize and believe the manifestation of that new creature in new and profound ways, walking out of darkness, fear, hopelessness, isolation, addiction. Do I still battle? Yes, in fact. Just today I found out some really good news for something and I literally said out loud I, today, I found out some really good news for something and I literally said out loud I don't know who I can ask to pray for about this. That is what I said. So I just want to reiterate people, I have not arrived. You know what I did, though I said no accuser, I am not alone. That is the first key that I need to reach out and hope and say I am in a family Psalm 107,.
Laurine Decker:We cry out for the Lord. He puts us in families. We hunger and thirst. He fills us, he satisfies us, and so that is my passionate plea he has saved you, he has delivered you, he has redeemed your life from the pit. Don't forget his benefits. Show up in the congregation, like he commands us to do. Keep doing the things that you know he's asked you to do, and when you fall, hallelujah, he's the one that is able to keep us from stumbling. His power is perfected in our weakness. When we are weak, he is strong. We are called to exhort one another, encourage one another to remain in fellowship, first and foremost, the throne room before the Lord, god Most High, in the hidden, secret place, and then with the community of believers.
Laurine Decker:What's keeping you from prayer and worship? You don't have to feel it. What's keeping you from the temple? Is there anything self-destructive in your life? It's not the Lord's will for you. Is there anything preventing you from remaining in that peace and love and joy and righteousness? It's not his will for you. We walk it out. In this world we will have many trials, many tribulations. Are we shocked? No, jesus agonized to the point of death and he kept showing up at the temple looking back to the scriptures, the holy scriptures of the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments.
Laurine Decker:We love the Lord God, we worship him, we rest Hebrews 4,. We strive to enter his rest and then we pour out for others and somehow he transforms us. He takes us from glory to glory so that we can look at him with unveiled faces, with more and more joy and peace and hope, all the time, every moment of this external realm. No, our feelings will play tricks on us. The accuser of the brethren doesn't quit and we can continue to rise up, lift up those shields of faith, stand with one another, put on that armor of god with one another in the temple and say I will boldly approach you. Lord god, most high you are. Jehovah Tzidkenu, my righteousness, jehovah Nisi, my banner, my deliverer, my fortress, my strong tower. The Lord Jesus Christ, lion of Judah, the Lamb that was slain, emmanuel, adonai, jehovah Jireh, my provider, my provider, my protector, my shield. Yahwehweh, the Lord, god most high. We can go on and on.
Laurine Decker:Look up tonyevansorg. There's a whole list of names and verses. It's beautiful, and we get to say yes, lord, yes and amen. I will worship you in your temple. I will remain in your presence because your presence has been given to me.
Laurine Decker:I'm sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. I am sealed, I'm yours. Abba, father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Yours is the kingdom, your will be done. We glorify your holy name. And so, with that tiniest of seeds, I am done. Listeners, thank you. I always welcome a DM, I always welcome a call. I love nothing more than to discuss Jesus and the Bible and to pray. Do not believe for one moment that you were alone. Please reach out, first and foremost to him, first and foremost to him, then to someone within your community of believers. Extend a trust, extend a risk, or to me, and I pray that you will go with the peace and blessing and knowledge and love and joy of the Lord Jesus Christ in new ways today, to the glory of God In Jesus' name, amen, amen.