Visitation or Habitation?

Is it the culture of Christianity or is it the Christ of Christianity?

Everywhere you go, the word is out: God is about to do something. (But then, God is always about to do something; He's just waiting for us to say "yes.")

We make the mistake sometimes of praying for a "visitation” (a hard doctrine to support from the Word). Visitation has NEVER been His plan. God is determined to establish habitation, not visitation. He is looking for a people in whom to dwell, not to visit.
(When Jesus taught us to pray, His words were clear, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.")

He is not coming to visit. He is coming to stay!

If you’re in His house (or He in yours), the provision is GREAT! (Me as a rich man, I would want to bless people if I were made a home with someone. (Remember, He has EVERYTHING, you must see it thru HIS eyes.) God will only bring increase to the place where He is welcome continually, where He INHABITS.

Exodus 15:2; 13 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

v.13 – Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed; thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

v.2 – WE prepare a habitation…v. 13 – HE leads us to HIS habitation!  When you spend time making room for the presence of God, He shows up and brings you into His presence…(God says WOW! You did this for me, let me show you something…. when you get in THAT realm you know it’s nothing you did…it’s His love & mercy!

Zechariah 2:10  Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Psalm 132:13 - For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.

God has chosen us to be His habitation! WE are where He LONGS to dwell!

Read Ephesians 2 (ALL) but especially 19-22 in THE MESSAGE

Psalm 26:8 - LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells.

The glory of God can only be with us if we are in HIS habitation…it won’t fall unless we GO THERE…His glory shows up when we GO TO HIS HABITATION, so how do we get there?? (3 Things)

Be HOLY!

2 Corinthians 6:11 - O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. ¹²You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. ¹³Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open. ¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." ¹⁷Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."

¹⁸"I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."

We MUST be holy as He is holy, or we cannot go to the mountain, and He will not dwell in an unclean place…

We must also have just as intense a desire for the Holy Spirit as He has for us, for fellowship…
James 4:5 - Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Be HUMBLE! – (James 4:6-10)
In one of Paul’s first epistles: He claims that he is not inferior to even the most eminent apostles.
Later: he writes that he is the least of the apostles.
Then a few years later: he writes that he is the least of the saints.
In one of his last letters: he writes that he is the greatest of sinners.
Do you see a progression in this? The greater the spiritual maturity, the greater the humility.

What king or president would allow someone who was not discreet to get near his throne, or anywhere close to where sensitive discussions were taking place? If we want to be the friend that the Lord shares His “secret council” with, then we must understand both the honor and responsibility that it is. If we are going to be trusted with prophetic revelation, we need to have as much wisdom to know when not to share something as when to share. This wisdom is rooted in the fear of the Lord. We can be His best friends, but we must never forget who He is. As stated in Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and it is the foundation of all true prophetic ministry. (Tommy Tenney)

And HALLELUJAHS! (The three “H’s”)
(Real worshippers will make room for Him!)

II Kings 4:8-11: "And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber and lay there."

In visitation the Shunammite woman constrained him and brought him to a place of bread. In habitation she had built a room, a bed, a place of rest. The home went from a place to visit, to a place to stay. By providing hospitality for the man of God, she was building a room for the entertainment of the presence of the Lord. She was making room for the habitation of God in her life.

The woman had an unvoiced prayer for a child and this was answered in kindness for her hospitality. Many years later the boy died, and she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. She had built the room as a place of habitation and in her hour of need she placed her problems in the room. The son was resurrected.

When we praise God, he dwells in the realm of praise, which is the house that He inhabits!
 Psalm 22:3 - But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

SOMETIMES WE GET SO BUSY BUILDING THE HOUSE, WE FORGET WHO WE’RE BUILDING IT FOR, AND HE ISN’T EVEN THERE, HASN’T BEEN INVITED!

And how soon we forget that He is with us all the time, He dwells IN us…He’s not an invited guest if we are believers, WE ARE HIS HOUSE!

Finish up with Psalm 91 – The result of dwelling with God in His habitation.

(Asked people put hand over hearts and repeat this prayer. "Jesus, touch my heart, it gets hard sometimes, change my life tonight”…Call for those who desire to make room for Him, building a place in the spirit so He can stay longer by our hospitality. NOTE: Be led by the Holy Ghost! This is what I did…)