This blog came to me in two different parts. The first as a conversation I was drawn into with the Lord while focusing on Him and what was on His heart. The second part about a week later, as an unexpected response from Him. It came by way of AN INVITATION TO IMMERSION!
Part One: July 26, While basking in His presence this phrase came to me … “I Speak Jesus”. Immediately the conversation ensued between He and I about when a person learns another language we begin to realize that there are many components involved with a new language that we aren’t used to communicating in. There are levels of the language such as hearing (listening), speaking, reading, and writing and each one takes a different skill set to be able to become proficient in the new language. You discover that you really do not “know” the language until you can THINK IN THAT LANGUAGE! Once you can think in that language, you are no longer translating word for word in your mind everything that you are hearing, speaking, reading, or writing. Next comes the deeper level of becoming FLUENT! To become fluent, you must actually learn to “think like they think”. In other words, you must have a connection with the cultural side of how and why they think the way they do, for words are not simply communicating a sound, but rather are meant to communicate or impart an actual connection between the speaker and the hearer in ways that communicate an experience or understanding – not just a bit of information. Many people try to interpret simply by the method of word-for-word translation, but it simply is impossible to gain a deep comprehension of what is actually being communicated using only this method. I speak fairly decent “Spanglish” but that doesn’t mean I can have any in-depth conversation or exchange in Spanish. I can only get information or communicate basic concepts, polite exchanges, or “need to know” direction or help. You see, I lived in Latin America for nine years, but I never immersed myself in the culture or language, I only learned what was necessary to “get by, to get what I needed, to find help, or to have polite exchanges” with others. What does this have to do with Jesus? It’s apparent, that for far too long, we have operated in the things of heaven this way. We have looked only for the ‘word-for-word translation’ style of communicating and in so doing, we have missed the culture, the meaning, the word-picture (so to speak) of what is actually being relayed to us by Heaven. This is one of the reasons why people from different cultures who marry might have some difficulties in becoming one, as the ways they think and frame things are very different! In order to learn to live in peace and harmony, they have to decide which culture they are going to follow, but the painfulness of being conformed to another culture often times comes as a great shock! So it is with us as we yield to Him and His Kingdom ways. The Lord is wooing us so that we can come to the place where we can truly say … I SPEAK JESUS!
Lord, we want to enter into the language of heaven to such a degree that we interact with you out of the CULTURE OF HEAVEN! We are discovering that Your Kingdom is so different from the ways we have previously connected with you on a basic “earth-to-heaven” way. We want to enter into THE KINGDOM AND LEARN YOUR LANGUAGE where Spirit-to-spirit is the way we communicate! The only true way to become fluent in a language is to be IMMERSED in the culture of those who are native to the customs, ways, thinking, and language in which we are seeking to gain access. That’s why people who need or desire to KNOW a language end up living in that community of people so that they might learn from those who are native to it. In order for us to become fluent IN THE LANGUAGE OF HEAVEN … WE MUST BECOME IMMERSED (enmeshed, intertwined) WITH JESUS! Holy Spirit has to become our teacher, our counselor out tutor, as He leads us on the adventure of immersion into the language and beauty of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN! The true Kingdom ways are coming as a quite a shock to many of us! We are deciding that, no matter what, we will follow Jesus and “be conformed to His image”, and not the image of who we have believed Him to be! He does not and will not conform to OUR WAYS, so in order to become ONE WITH HIM … WE MUST SUBMIT AND BE CONFORMED TO HIS WAYS!
I once met a man in Panama who had lived in the United States for many years and in a conversation, he said to me, “When we go to the movies, I am the only one in the theater that laughs at the jokes! That’s because I understand from living in the USA what is meant by the joke, the undertone, or the slang and those who have never been immersed in your culture, although they hear the words being spoken, they do not have any idea what was just said.” You see, even though we might choose to visit another culture, or even live there for awhile, we will never convince them to change to fit our culture! Instead, we must learn their ways if we want life to go more smoothly for us in their nation! Kicking against this principle is natural, but we will NEVER change them to our culture and ways! We must simply learn that in order to function on a HIGH LEVEL in their country, we must conform to their ways. Many people, however, simply choose to form sub-groups within the culture so that they can live there without being conformed to the ways of the land. We find ways to exist without fully conforming and that is good enough for us. We have, in many ways, done this with God! We have formed our “sub-culture ways” and called it the Kingdom, but that does not make it THE KINGDOM! The only true way to function in HIS KINGDOM IS TO BE CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE AND TO LEARN HIS WAYS! I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to truly say … I SPEAK JESUS! And when I say these words, I want to have ALL OF HEAVEN RESOUND … AMEN! Only we can decide if we will we be like the Panamanian man who told me that he was the only one in the theatre who laughed at the jokes because he understood what was being said, and have all of Heaven laugh with us? Or will we hear them say, like the others in the theatre … “What did they say? We have no idea what they really meant by that! How are we supposed to help them when we don’t understand what they are saying?” They only know THE LANGUAGE OF HEAVEN, so let’s align ourselves to HIS KINGDOM, HIS WAYS, HIS VOICE, and WATCH ALL OF HEAVEN RESOUND … AMEN, AMEN, and AMEN!
Part Two – August 3 … This lightbulb went off in my minds eye today while I was in the shower … IMMERSION! One simple word illuminated in my minds eye as it flashed before me: IMMERSION! I knew I had to write this down so I laughed and said, “Lord, sometimes you choose the most inconvenient times (in the natural) to speak, but I know this is you and I choose to respond … so wet hair and all …Oh boy, here we go! I can feel “it coming on”! SPEAK, LORD! (Side note: Later, I realized that “in the shower” I was completely under the spout of the water – kind of like an immersion. What a wonder it is to us ‘when and how’ His voice breaks through to us.)
HE COMMUNICATED THIS TO ME: “I’m about to set you into an immersion experience. You said that “speaking Jesus” will only become fluent if you IMMERSE YOURSELF INTO ME, right? Get ready because it is about to happen! I know you are wondering what in the world does IMMERSION really mean? There is no way to describe it to you, so I will TAKE YOU INTO IT AND THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND! I am knitting together a group of people who desire ONLY MY WAYS! I know your hearts and desires and I will take you far beyond what you anticipate these to look like. Remember that immersion means DEEP INSIDE A CULTURE OR LANGUAGE. It doesn’t mean living on the outskirts in your own “tiny community” so that you don’t have to yield yourself to this NEW WORLD. I will plunge you into the middle of the depths of my heart, if only you will LET GO and LET ME! You cannot hold onto your previous ways and truly enter into immersion. You must yield your ideas and habits in order that you will RE-EMERGE CHANGED. For it is only in the depth of your immersion that you will be transformed. You cannot do it living on the surface, putting your toe in the water and even sometimes wading in ankle deep. That is not immersion. I will lead you into it. You must have a RELIABLE GUIDE TO INSURE THAT YOUR IMMERSION IS INTO PURE, CLEAN, SPARKLING WATERS. I am He … the ONLY ONE WHO CAN TAKE YOU THERE. Do not look to formulas or experiences – ONLY TO ME! TRUST ME and TAKE THE PLUNGE! Awww – the cool, refreshing, healing, restoring waters of the CRYSTAL SEA! Just prepare your heart – that is all you can do as you wait upon me to DO WHAT ONLY I CAN DO IN YOU! Yield yourself to me, settle yourself INSIDE OF ME, and begin to anticipate this NEW PLACE THAT I WILL TAKE YOU INTO WITH ME … IN ME! Begin to let the cool, refreshing, clear waters wash over your soul, let them bring a yielding and a preparation that only comes as you DRINK DEEPLY OF THE LIVING WATER WITH ME. Let the waters wash away your cares, concerns, ideas, and expectancies as they create in you a pure heart and a thirst that says, I SIMPLY MUST HAVE HIM … THE LIVING WATER FLOWING FROM THE THRONE!
DIVE IN! THE WATER IS FIRE! Yes, I said … THE WATER IS FIRE! Don’t be surprised when you begin to feel the fiery waters in my presence welling up within you. The cleansing, purging, healing, restoring waters of the BAPTISM OF FIRE THAT IS COMING UPON YOU! It will BURN and it will REFRESH … ALL AT THE SAME TIME! It only makes sense IN ME! There is no other way to comprehend what I am calling you into other than to YIELD YOURSELF, TRUST ME, AND … LET YOUR YES BE YES … AND AMEN!”
Me: I see the blood and the oil mixing in a way that can only be done IN JESUS! The mixing of the ELEMENTS OF HIS LIFE AND LOVE COMING ALIVE IN ME! Swirl and twirl, burn, purify, heal, cleanse, restore, and IMMERSE ME, LORD NTO YOU. INTO YOUR KINGDOM. INTO YOUR WAYS, TRUTH AND LIFE! I SAY YES, LORD … YES, LORD. I WILL ACCEPT YOUR INVITATION TO THE PLACE OF IMMERSION WITH AND IN YOU! AMEN, LORD! LET IT BE, IN ME, AS YOU HAVE PREDESTINED ALL ALONG!
He connected the dots as He spoke within me .. the dots of these two seemingly separate thoughts. The thought of, “I Speak Jesus” and the lightbulb illumination of IMMERSION! How He weaves and works these things together are always a mystery and a wonder, right? He is the most wonderful and mysterious God who desires to bring us into the fullness of HIS IMAGE and HIS KINGDOM WAYS! Will you join me as we prepare our hearts for IMMERSION INTO THE FIERY WATERS WITH HIM? As we do, we will RE-EMERGE CHANGED (CONFORMED) … INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST! He is faithful and true! AMEN, LORD! LET IT BE!
Written by Laura Krewson on July 26 and August 3, 2022
